Lion of the Ruins
by retrowolfdog
Summary: Lion is born into the Ruins, a cold dark place filled with violence and death. The she-cats are treated like dirt, abused and have mates forced upon them. They are simply breeding tools in the eyes of the toms. Lion is determined to put the unfair treatment to a stop, and that all begins when she meets a mysterious group of cats in the forest. CANCELED
1. Little Lion

Allegiances:

Leader- Howl- Burly gray tom laced with scars (Blue)

Leader's Mate- Dragonsnap- Quiet ginger she-cat (Green)

Second in Command (Deputy) - Renegade- Dark brown tabby tom with massive paws (Amber)

Healer- Juniper- Heavily-scarred blue-gray tom (Green)

Scouts- Cinder- Savage gray tom with darker flecks (Blue)

Storm- Feral blue-gray tom with white paws (Blue)

Geno- Black tom with white muzzle and tail (Green)

Glen- Fox-red tom with black ears (Blue)

Laburnum- Golden-brown tom with blackish-brown paws (Amber)

Trice- Black, ginger, and white tortie spotted tom (Blue)

Flare- Cold black and brown tom (Green)

Trainers- Prowl- Black and white striped tom (Blue)

Pounce- Brown and white striped tom (Green)

Fire- Dark ginger tom with small claws (Blue)

Rumble- Dirty-brown tom with darker stripes (Blue)

Heath- Chocolate-brown tom with darker legs (Blue)

Spark- Dark ginger tom with lighter speckles (Amber)

Fighters- Lucky- Black and white tom (Green)

Taboo- Black tom with wide shoulders and long tail (Green)

Skitt- Savage white tom laced with scars (Blue)

Yew- Fox-red tom with long claws (Green)

Buttercup- Only fighter she-cat, cream-colored pelt with long tail (Hazel)

Yuii- Brown tom with white speckles (Blue)

Glade- Quiet silver tom with white splotches (Amber)

Blizzard- Aggressive snow-white tom (Green)

Timber- Brown tabby striped tom (Amber)

Hunters- Adder- Reddish-brown tom (Amber)

Xavier- Well-humored black and brown striped tom (Blue)

Jinx- Speckled salt and pepper tom (Blue)

Pine- Brown and white spotted tom (Amber)

Ebony- Black tom with white markings (Amber)

Phoenix- Ginger and golden-furred tom (Green)

Hex- Golden tabby tom (Amber)

Scott- Former house cat, brown tom (Blue)

Comet- Hazel-colored tom /w black speckles (Green)

Crackle- Snappy brown tom (Blue)

Trainees- Streak- Fast blue-gray tom with white streaks (Amber)

Ginger- Dark ginger tom with white spots (Green)

Hazel- Light brown tom with darker spots (Blue)

Speck- Black and white spotted tom (Green)

Dapper- Mute white tom (Blue)

Tink- Gold and white pelted tom (Amber)

Max- Brown tabby tom (Amber)

Tomkits- Gwen- Dark gray tom (Blue) –Honey

Phinn- Gray and white tom (Green) – Honey

Kain- Brown tabby tom (Blue) – Honey

Skid- Black and white tabby (Green) – Honey

Rock- Blue-gray tom (Green) – Rose

Moon- Dark gray tom (Blue) – Hummingbird

Mine- Smokey-gray tom (Green) – Hummingbird

Sharp- Dark grayish-brown tom (Amber) – Ragged

She-kits- Lion- Long-furred fierce golden and white dappled she-kit (Dark Amber) – Honey

Sap- Dark brown and gold she-kit (Blue) – Honey

Lilac- Quiet blue-gray she-kit (Turquoise) – Rose

Thorn- Deaf brown and black she-kit (Blue) – Rose

Rain- Blue-gray she-kit with white paws (Green) – Rose

Red- Dark ginger she-kit (Green) – Hummingbird

Flare- Grayish-brown clumsy she-kit (Amber) - Ragged

Breeders- Honey- Sweet golden colored she-cat (Amber)

Mate: Xavier

Rose- Dark ginger she-cat (Dark Brown)

Mate: Phoenix

Ragged- Grayish-brown long-furred she-cat (Green)

Mate: Yuii

Speckle- Salt and Pepper she-cat heavy with kits (Amber)

Mate: Heath

Glass- Blue-gray she-cat heavy with kits (Green)

Mate: Glade

She-cats- Creek- Dark brown tabby she-cat (Amber)

Cider- Dark ginger and light brown she-cat (Blue)

Paint- Dappled tortoiseshell she-cat (Green)

Water- Blue-gray she-cat with white paws (Blue)

Stella- Former Kittypet, tortoiseshell she-cat (Green)

Lead- Stone-gray she-cat (Blue)

Badger- Black and white striped she-cat (Green)

Nettle- Black-pelted she-cat covered in scars (Dark Green)

Ember- Ginger she-cat with black speckles (Blue)

Russet- Dark brown she-cat (Amber)

Cinnamon- Cream-colored she-cat with brown speckles (Amber)

Coal- Black and white she-cat (Green)

Aloe- Dark gray she-cat (Green)

Cotton- Quiet cloudy-gray she-cat (Blue)

Feather- Dark gray and white she-cat (Blue)

Emerald- Ginger tabby she-cat (Green)

Crow- Sleek black she-cat with a fierce attitude (Hazel)

 _Chapter One_

The first thing she experienced in her life was loud hissing and screeching, and then the soft cooing of a gentle voice. All it whispered was the word, "Lion." She pushed herself closed to the voice, curling up in soft fur. She purred softly, flattening her small ears to block out the screeches in the background.

Her next experience was a meal. She had scented something good, and using her small nose, found the source of it. She felt other forms beside her, all fighting for a good meal. She latched onto a teat, suckling warm milk until she was full. She felt a tongue rasp at her pelt, coaxing her into a doze

~hahaha time jump to when they b 3 moons/months~

Lion yawned, opening her eyes. She grunted, flopping onto her side. She and her siblings had opened their eyes for about three months now. Her brothers and sister had already awoken, and had started to adventure around the den they were confined to. She stood, legs shaking for a few seconds as well as stumbling around for a moment. She let out a defiant cry when a heavy weight pinned her down. She hissed; ears flat. She felt claws clip her ears, hissing. She wriggled, pulling herself away from whoever had attacked her.

She ran towards the familiar scent of her mother, Honey. She tripped over her paws, stumbling into the nest. She glared at the big gray kit who jumped on her, then turned her gaze to her siblings. She had quickly learned the names of her siblings, who were all wrestling with each other in the nest, save for Sap, her sister. Her brothers were named Gwen, Phinn, Kain, and Skid. Apparently her father had named them, and her mother named her and Sap. She frowned slightly, watching them play. Her ears pricked up when there was the echo of pawsteps at the front of the den. A big black and brown tom stood at the entrance, eyes soft.

Honey leapt to her paws, heading towards the tom. Lion bristled, eyes narrowing. He was bigger than Honey, who rubbed her head under his chin. The big tom purred, licking her mother's ear quickly before padding towards her siblings, and her. She fluffed up her pelt, backing up from him. Honey padded forward with him, speaking with a soft purr, "Kits, this is your father, Xavier."

Sap bounded up to him, eyes wide, "Your name's funny. I like it!" Xavier purred, pushing the young kit down with his tail, who wrestled with it. Her brothers all shot forwards, springing onto her father's pelt with squeals of joy. He let out a fake cry, dramatically falling onto his side. Lion watched; pelt prickling before approaching him warily. She yowled in shock when he shot a paw forward and pulled her closer to her brothers and sisters. She wriggled out of his grip, fur bristling. She relaxed slightly when she saw the amusement in his eyes. She squealed when Phinn and Kain pounced on her, squeaking in excitement.

Lion hissed playfully, rolling away from their grip and batting one of them on the ears. They rolled around for a bit, until one of Kain's claws caught her ear. She pushed him away in shock, shaking her head, scattering small droplets of blood. He bounded up to her, ears flat, "Sorry."

Lion purred slightly, "Its fine, we were just playing. It was an accident." He seemed to accept the words, tackling Phinn, who was creeping up behind him. She looked up at the roof of the den, which was stone that had multiple cracks running through it. Heck, the whole den was broken rubble that caved in at the right spots to form a den shape. Lion yawned, staring at the entrance of the den. She grumbled when Xavier left, blocking the exit. She turned around, amber eyes flashing as she neared her nest.

That's when two big toms entered the nursery, grabbing a nearby queen by the scruff. She raised her head sharply, hearing the terror-wracked shrek of Hummingbird, and the complaining cries of her kits as they were ushered outside. She looked back, noticing that Honey had fallen asleep, and her siblings were playing at the far edge of the den, not giving the other cats a second glance. Lion's pelt prickled with curiosity, and she followed them out of the den, keeping herself close to the ground. She shuffled closer to the group, slipping between a few cats, her small frame helping her get to the front of the crowd. No-cat spared her a single glance. A loud yowl rang out around the area as a big gray tom came into view, followed closely by a small ginger she-cat. She looked absolutely miserable.

Lion felt a pang of pity in her chest. The big tom growled, "Today, Hummingbird's kits reach the age of eight months. To strengthen the toms and put the she-cats into their place, well, you know what'll happen." He stalked over to Hummingbird, who was pinned to expose her belly, her kits close. Lion's blood ran cold in fear, but she couldn't move. The big tom put one paw close to Hummingbird's throat, claws unsheathed. Lion froze in place when he dug them into Hummingbird's neck, dragging them down slowly.

Hummingbird screamed in agony, blood pouring from the wound. The gray tom tore her stomach open quickly, causing blood to spray from the wound. Lion felt a droplet hit her cheek, slowly dripping down. Hummingbird's screams rang around the hollow, blood spreading across the hard stone. Slowly, her screams died down and she stilled, her eyes wide clouded but still wide with fear. Her three kits sat there in shock, slowly comprehending what just happened right in front of them. The two tom kits yowled soon, obviously in a rage. The small she-kit just sat there, frozen stiff. Lion trembled, watching in horror as the tom grabbed the she-kit, growling, "Now to mark you as one of my she-cats." She saw his blood-soaked paw rise in the air, claws dripping with blood.

Lion tripped over her paws, finally being able to move. She shot forward as fast as she could, slipping in the bloody mess. She felt on her chin, blood soaking through her fur. Many eyes were on her now as she desperately tried to make her way to the frightened kit, although she was many months younger. She skidded in front of the kit, who she recognized quickly as Red. The big tom brought his claws crashing down on her, striking her flank. She held back a loud screech of pain; she gritted her teeth, tears prickling at her eyes. Her pelt was already soaked in blood, and the she-kit behind her looked at her in fear. She was much smaller, and the wound wasn't too deep, but it was long. The tom retracted his claws in shock, before roaring, "You dare defy me, little kit?"

Lion didn't reply, but flattened herself to the ground, eyes wide in pain and mingled fear. He sneered, "Get out of my sight." She did cry out when his massive paw slammed into her side, sending her skidding across the ground. She flinched when she heard the screams of Red, which then subsided into whimpering. She shook, trying to clean away the blood on her pelt, but to no avail. She felt strong jaws pick her up; and she cried out again as she was roughly shoved back inside the kit den.

She mewed weakly, "M-Mama?" Honey came for her quickly, roughly licking her pelt.

Honey growled, "Why did you go out of the den?" She then seemed to notice that she was covered in blood. She shrieked, "My kit, my dear kit! Did you see it? Tell me everything." She stuttered, before spilling out the whole story to her mother, pupils widening with every word.

She spat, "T-They killed her, right in front of everyone. Everyone!" Her fur puffed up, and her legs shook. Fear mingled with another emotion.

Anger.

She bristled, clamping her mouth shut. Loud yowling continued outside, chanting out the names of the two tom kits. She felt light-headed and weak, her anger draining from her small body as she stumbled into their nest. She lied still for a few minutes until she saw Red get gently pushed back inside the den by a blue-gray tom, who then came towards her. She hissed meekly, ears flat.

He mewed softly, "I'm here to treat your wounds. You must come with me." Lion forced herself to her paws, ears flat. She followed him out of the den, back into the clearing, where Hummingbird's body still lied, bloody and broken. She held back a gag, tearing her gaze away from the she-cat. She followed the blue-gray tom into another den, where he sat. He rumbled, "I am Juniper, the healer of this… group. You must be confused onto why Hummingbird was executed." Lion said nothing, but sat still, ears angled slightly back. He continued, "The Ruins in a group run only by toms. The she-cats here are just for breeding and to look pretty. Got that, kit?" She bristled, eyes narrowing.

He approached her after that, swiftly cleaning the blood from her pelt. She hissed quietly when he put cobwebs over the wound, and ushered her out of the den. She growled, quickly bounding across to her den.

She didn't say anything to her family, but just curled up by Honey's flank. She screwed her eyes shut, willing herself to sleep.

 _Lion blinked, raising her head. She was in the kit-den again. She flinched when she saw the two familiar toms enter the den, and the startled shriek of Hummingbird as she was forcefully dragged out of the den. She jumped in surprise when she saw herself, following them out of the den. She looked at her paws, noticing they were slightly transparent. She followed herself out of the den, forcing herself to move._

 _Her eyes narrowed into slits, legs beginning to shake again. She watched silently, ears flat as she saw herself, eyes widened in horror. She flattened her ears as Hummingbird bled out, blood spreading out across the floor. She jumped when it lapped at her paws, staining the fur again. She tried to back up, but something kept her still. The scenery around her blurred as the blood around her paws rose, coating her chest with sticky blood._

 _Voices around her screamed her name, and as she was swallowed up by the thick red blood, she let out an ear-splitting scream._

Lion jerked awake, panting heavily. Honey loomed over her, covering her pelt with frantic licks. She stuttered, "W-What?"

Honey spoke between each lick, "You were thrashing around in your sleep, you just screamed before you woke." Lion looked away, staring at her paws. There was blood-crusted fur between her toes, and she tugged it off, wincing as she tore out strands. She shook, remembering the scene of Hummingbird's death in her mind over and over, her screams ringing around her head. She spotted Red in the corner of the den, ears flattened, eyes shut tight. Lion wriggled away from her mother, approaching Red. Lion tried to think of anything to say, but failed. She simply curled up by Red, even though she was much smaller. She shut her eyes, dozing off again.

Lion blinked, yawning. She was surprised she hadn't had another nightmare. Her stomach let out a small growl. She hadn't eaten since yesterday, and the hunger began to bite at her. She jumped to her paws when she noticed no one was in the den. She guessed it was meal-time. Lion jumped to her paws, hurrying out of the den. She guessed correctly, as there was the prey-pile in the center of camp. She padded over to Honey, who waited patiently, grooming one paw.

Lion watched the pile slowly deteriorate as each group went, first the leader and his mate, then the deputy, then Juniper, the healer, after that was the Scouts, Trainers, Hunters, Fighters, and the Trainees. By the time Honey, and the kits, got to go, there were four mice and three rats left for all of them.

Lion quickly snagged a plump mouse, tearing into it ravenously. The older kits were fighting over one of the rats, and one of them approached her, teeth bared. She hissed, smacking him in the side of the muzzle with a paw, grabbing her mouse and running to Honey to eat. She quickly tore the meat off the bones, swallowing quickly. She puffed up her pelt, swiping her tongue over her muzzle to make sure there weren't any leftover scraps. She sighed quietly, padding towards the den. She kept her head low, slinking in the den, eyes feeling heavy. She curled up, shutting her eyes to sleep again.

 **AN: AHAHAHAH neW STORIES WOW WHAT IS THIS? I got this concept and have most of it planned out already which is p nice. bUt yes, the death was supposed to happen in this chapter to show what a bad place the Ruins actually is. A few chapters in I'll most likely make a Rules list, but I'll give you a quick summary of the things we learned bout the ruins in this chapter; the Ruins is a place run solely by toms. The she-cats there are only really to look pretty, breed, and sometimes hunt. Once a she-cat's kits reach eight moons, she is killed in front of them, as said in the chapter, to 'strengthen' the toms, and terrify the she-kits. Sometimes this fails and a weak tom will be killed. The she-kit will also be 'marked' with a long wound that will scar. This is how they know that the she-cat belongs to them**

 **Kill and Upgrade Count: (- means downgrade or death, +means upgrade or joined)**

 **-Hummingbird**

 **\+ Moon and Mine to Trainees**

 **-Red to She-Cats**


	2. New Encounters

Chapter Two

Lion sighed, pulling herself to her paws. She turned seven moons old today, thus qualified to go on her first hunt. Her siblings had changed greatly, all her brothers learned the rules of the Ruins, and began to pick on and hurt her and Sap. She quickly groomed her dirty pelt, spitting out the strands of fur that came loose. Sap padded up to her, sitting and tucking her paws under her chest. She mewed softly, "Lion, do you think they'll choose us to go on the hunt today?"

Lion muttered, "I don't know, most likely, yes. We have to go on a hunt before eight moons, remember?" Sap just nodded, pressing against her side. Lion jerked her head up when she heard Phinn's yowl.

"Ambush!"

Lion was used to this, but Sap was still terrified. The four tom kits charged at them, Kain tripping over his paws. She snorted when he got a face full of stone. Honey watched her kits, she looked worn and weak. Lion turned her attention back the other kits. Phinn had Sap pinned, cuffing her over the ears. She wriggled her haunches, springing at him. Her claws caught his shoulders, and with all her strength, she flung him to the side, obviously leaving a scrape on his shoulder, as there was blood. The other two, Gwen and Skid, gave up trying to get Kain to his paws and stared at her.

Phinn spat, voice shaking, "You're no fun anymore! I hate you!"

Lion growled with a cold voice, "You really think I care?"

She turned away from them, helping Sap to her paws. She hissed, "If you were really good brothers, you wouldn't attack your siblings."

All four toms whined at the same time, "But you attacked us, too!"

She whipped around and puffed up her pelt, snarling, "Because I'm not your sister!" She flattened her pelt, giving her chest a few licks when Howl's commanding yowl sounded. Lion lead Sap outside, who was extremely timid and frightened of all the toms. Lion hardened her gaze when she caught Moon, Hummingbird's son, staring at her with want. She hissed in his direction, tail lashing. She sat down a few tail-lengths away from the kit den, gaze guarded.

Howl growled, "Today, I will announce which she-cats will be going with the hunters today. Honey's kits have also turned seven moons today, and will all be going with the hunters. Anyways, the she-cats that will be going today are; Lion, Sap, Nettle, Ember, Creek, Paint, Lead, Cinnamon, and Feather." The she-cats all walked to the center of the camp, and she followed, keeping her head high. The hunters came forward, surrounding them. Lion stared at the sky, covered with clouds. Howl grunted, "Now, leave."

Lion growled as she felt herself being pushed forward, but went along with it, somewhat exited to finally leave the Ruins camp. She stared ahead, eyes widening as she finally saw the outside. There were buildings, but the walls had caved in and broken away. Cracks ran along the ground, but the best part about it was that beyond these broken walls, were moors, lined with a massive forest. Her excitement grew when he realized they were heading towards these places. Her tail lashed impatiently, it seemed like it was taking forever to get there. She growled in frustration, paws itching.

She almost squealed when they jumped over the shattered wall onto the moors. The leader of the Hunters, Adder, stopped, and spoke, "Alright, Ground Rules here. While hunting you are all equal, there will be no forcing a she-cat to hunt for you or do any other things. No-one steals prey from each other; avoid contact with anyone at all costs. You may hunt anywhere. If anyone goes missing, tom or she-cat, we will search for you. Is that clear?"

All of them responded with a, "Yes."

Adder grunted, "Very well, now, be off. Return little after sun-high." Lion shot off as fast as she could, paws thumping on the ground. She skidded to a halt, remembering Sap. She sighed in relief as she saw the small form of Sap following Nettle. She raced along the stream, muscles aching as she pushed herself to run. She hauled herself onto a giant rock, which gave her a giant view of the place they were hunting. Her eyes widened in awe, there was a giant glimmering lake in the center of the whole thing. There were rivers on one side, with tall, and droopy trees, across the lake there were tall dark green trees and dark brown ground, she assumed was mud. And next to the moors they were on was the giant forest, with tall oak trees. (Yes, this is the clan's lake territories, why they're hunting in WindClan will be explained later)

She let out a shaky breath, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. She slid half-slid, half-fell off the rock onto the ground. She stared at her paws, stained with green from running along the long grassy hills. She decided that the rabbits would be too fast for her. She sniffed around the rock, maybe there would at least be a mouse or vole. Her nose bumped into something hard, and she jumped back slightly, bristling. She peered through the grass at what her nose had bumped. She flinched back in shock, recognizing the shape of a cat's head. It was white though, and hard. The places where the eyes and nose went were hollow.

She looked around the ground, her eyes spotting more bones buried deep in the ground, and the shapes of battered and torn dens. She backed away, bristling. She stepped on something, hearing a loud crack as her paw gave away. She raised it quickly, pelt burning in horror. She had stepped on a smaller skull, which gave in under her weight. It was the size of a kit. She felt a pang of pain and grief stab through her, and she lowered her nose to the small form, whispering, "I'm sorry." She looked up at the sky; the sun was still low, close to the horizon. She had time to kill.

She stared down at the worn down camp, and with one paw, began to scrape at the dirt. It gave in easily, coming out soft and feathery. Soon, she had dug a small hole in the ground. With her nose, she pushed the kit's remains into the small grave, pulling the dirt over it. Her claws ached by the time she finished digging a second larger hole, bleeding slightly on her paw. She switched paws by the third, nosing dirt over both once the dead were inside. She looked around the camp, there was at least three left inside the clearing, but the dirt was easy to dig away.

She was panting by the time the extra holes had been dug out. Her claws were bleeding from the edges by then, her pads scratched and sore. She sighed, legs trembling. She began to push the dirt back over, creating small mounds for each. She didn't dare look inside the dens, fearing she would see more things that she wouldn't want to. She hesitated, staring across the abandoned camp. She spoke softly to herself, "I promise I'll come back. I'll fix this place."

She nearly jumped when a voice drifted silently through the wind, ringing in her ears.

 _Thank you, young kit._

Lion looked around, shivering. She looked up at the sky; she had at least two hours to hunt. She shook her head; she wouldn't hunt on this land. She headed toward the forest, sore paws thumping against the ground. She splashed through the stream, which was low. She entered the forest, stopping her burst of speed. Leaves flew up high when she skidded to a halt, fluttering down to lay on the forest floor. She twitched her ears, listening to anything that might be able to be caught. She pricked her ears forward when she heard scratching against something. She narrowed her eyes, scanning the forest floor. They rested on a gray bird; she recognized it as a pigeon. They were everywhere in the Ruins.

This one was fat, scratching at a tree root with one foot. She wriggled her haunches, but didn't leap just yet. She stalked forward slowly. She placed one paw down a bit too hard however, pushing a torn claw out even further. She hissed in pain, alarming the bird. The pigeon let out a cry of alarm, getting ready to take off. She sprang, snagging one of its wings with her better paw, killing it with a bite to the neck. She grabbed it, getting ready to head back to the moorlands.

That's when something heavy knocked her down. She shrieked in surprise, dropping the bird. She wriggled out of the grip of the cat, quickly slapping their paw across their cheek, tearing a wound. The cat quickly retaliated, lashing out a paw and snagging their shoulder. Lion dodged to the side when they swung out another paw, digging her teeth into her attacker's foreleg. She hissed when another cat grabbed her by the scruff. Her muzzle tore away from the other cat's leg, who was a dark gray tabby tom.

A soft voice spoke from beside her, "What're we going to do with the rogue, Stoneclaw?"

The big tom, Stoneclaw, grunted, "We take her back to the camp, and talk with Streamstar about the situation. Spottednose, grab the bird she caught. It'll be extra prey for the fresh-kill pile."

Lion hissed, "You can't take it! I caught it, it belongs to me!"

Stoneclaw growled, "It was on ThunderClan territory, therefore it's our prey."

Lion was fuming, bristling. She thrashed herself, forcing whoever was holding her to let go. She whipped around, grabbing their shoulders with her claws and throwing them down on their head, like she did to Phinn earlier. Spottednose, a white she-cat with a dappled pelt, she now saw, gasped, "Mintpaw!" Stoneclaw roared, leaping at her. She snapped her teeth on his ear when he barreled into her, keeping her pinned with one paw. He planted his jaws around her neck, holding her down, one massive paw on her stomach.

She stiffened, feeling claws prick her on the stomach. She held her breath, waiting for him to kill her like Howl killed Hummingbird. The pain never came, and she slowly let out a shaky breath. The pressure from the tom's paw was gone, but he still kept his jaws planted around her neck, shifting them to grab a hold of her scruff. She went limp in defeat, wounds burning. The tip of her tail dragged in the dirt, so she instinctively curled it up, simply wrapping it around her hind paw. She flinched when she felt herself be dropped. She got to her paws, keeping the one with her torn claw up. Stoneclaw growled, "You're coming to see our leader, follow us."

She said nothing, but followed them through the tunnel, hobbling on three legs, every now and then touching her forepaw to the ground to stabilize herself. She kept her head low, pelt bristling at the whispers and burning stares. The three cats led her into a stone den, which looked like the inside of the kit-den, but darker and more natural-looking. There was a black she-cat in the den, with white paws and a long plumy tail. She raised her head, gaze flashing in slight curiosity. She spoke, "Who is this?"

Spottednose spoke, "We found this rogue stealing prey by the WindClan border." She twitched her whiskers, "She put up quite a fight for her size." She bristled at the insult, tail twitching.

Who she assumed as Streamstar spoke, "Very well, take her to Hollowtrunk to get her wounds checked, and then I will talk with her." Lion stood, letting herself be led into another den. She wrinkled her nose at the sharp scent of plant life. She couldn't help but feel a prickle of curiosity, sniffing at one of the leaves. It smelled sharp, and stung her nose slightly. She felt as if she knew the scent, but couldn't identify it. She frowned slightly, raising her head. She jumped when she met face-to-face with another cat. She backed up, but moved to quickly and fell, bumping her sore paw on the dirt floor. She hissed in pain, hauling herself to her paws.

The cat, a brown tabby tom with a white muzzle, purred in amusement, "Its fine, young one. Lay down in one of the nests, I'll treat your wounds." Lion hesitantly lowered herself into a free nest, which was surprisingly soft. She sunk into it, letting out a sigh. The tom returned, holding a leaf with a smelly light green spread inside. He dropped it, using a careful paw to put it on the wounds across her shoulders. She blinked, it stung, but wasn't too bad; until he put it on her torn claw. She gritted her teeth, it stung like a cuff to the ear, and it pushed the claw upwards, causing it to bleed. He quickly bound it with cobwebs, same with her other wounds.

He murmured softly, "Stay here, I'm going to get Streamstar." Lion nodded; her legs hurt anyways, wasn't like she could get anywhere anyways. She twitched her ears when the tom entered the den again, Streamstar following close behind. Lion bristled, feeling an aura of power coming from her. She turned to Lion, and then back to the Healer, speaking softly, "I'd like to speak with this rogue in private, please." The tom nodded, backing out of the den.

Lion couldn't help but feel a prickle of curiosity, her question coming out before she could stop herself, "Why did he listen to you? You're a she-cat."

Streamstar stared hard at her, before responding, "Because I am Hollowtrunk's leader, same goes for everyone in this camp, save for you."

Lion twitched her ear, "I thought only toms could be leaders." Streamstar seemed shocked, ears flattened.

Lion bristled, "What? Are you just going to stare at me?"

Streamstar shook her head, before starting up with her questions, "Why were you on our territory?"

Lion responded sharply, "To hunt."

"Why did you decide to hunt on our territory, and not WindClan's?"

Lion hesitated slightly this time, ears flattening, "I'm still young and weak, I can't chase down rabbits." She hesitated for a few more seconds, before continuing, "The moors shouldn't be hunted on."

Streamstar's eyes crackled with anger and guarded curiosity, burning like the sun on a hot day. She pried at her, "Why shouldn't they be hunted on, then? What made you think that the forest was better than the moorlands?"

Lion sensed her anger, and bristled, growing snappy, "The moors are sacred, blood has been spilled and cats have been massacred. Their territory should not be hunted on."

Streamstar snapped back, bristling, "What makes you think the forest is so pure? Our cats have been brutally killed as well; blood has been spilled in the very spot you lay in right now!" Lion faltered, staring at her paws. Streamstar sighed, "Sorry, little one." Lion looked up, slightly shocked that she would apologize to her. The she-cat continued, "I've seen many deaths in my life, as my time as a leader. I've seen so many innocent cats fall, unable to help them. You wouldn't understand."

Lion looked up at the she-cat, whose eyes were pained, claws digging into the dirt. She stuttered, "I- I." Lion stared at her paws, muttering, "You're wrong." She growled, "He killed a queen right in front of her kits. He scarred her daughter. In front of everyone. I tried to stop him; I was only three moons old. I could do nothing." She spat at the ground, and bent her neck to one side, showing the scar that trailed from her neck to shoulder. Her voice cracked, "I paid the price, and they're going to do the same thing to my mother."

Streamstar spoke slowly, "But what if you didn't let them kill her?" Lion's head shot up immediately, eyes widening. Streamstar gently curled her tail over her paws and mewed, "I will give you a chance at training for one moon. I will teach you how to fight and defend yourself on those you love."

Lion stuttered, "B-but! I can't stay here! They'll attack and try to steal me back; I know that, they're greedy."

Streamstar replied swiftly, "I will train you at night; you are small and agile enough to escape and return easily. I would ask of you to get your mother out there, but I am assuming there is heavy guarding. It would be much too hard for her."

Lion sat, open-mouthed, "I- I guess I could. I- If you really wanted me to!" Despite herself, excitement bubbled in her stomach.

Streamstar purred softly, "Of course, young cat. But, I must need your name to apprentice you."

Lion stuttered, "M-My name is Lion."

Streamstar swiftly stood, "Well, Lion. There must be a meeting to announce your arrival." Lion nodded dumbly, standing to follow the she-cat outside. She was dumbfounded and also filled with joy. She could protect her mother! She stared up at the sky; the sun was a mouse-length away from the center. There was limited time. Streamstar had jumped up to a ledge, yowling a meeting. Lion watched in awe as cats poured out of the dens, all different shapes and sizes. Streamstar spoke out, "Today, Spottednose's patrol found a young she-cat, I have decided that she will train to become a warrior. But this is a special case."

The cats around her spoke in hushed murmurs. Questions rang around her ears, echoing through her mind.

 _Who is she?_

 _Why is she in our camp?_

 _Where is she from?_

 _I don't recognize her from anywhere._

Streamstar explained quickly, but she was paying no attention until she heard Streamstar announce something loud and booming, "Lion, you are over six moons and thus qualify as an apprentice. From this day forward, you will be known as Lionpaw. Spottednose and I will train you into a fit young warrior."

 _Lionpaw,_ she thought, _I like it._ Streamstar jumped down from the ledge, touching noses with her quickly. Streamstar spoke to her quietly, "I'm guessing you must leave soon, Lionpaw." She nodded, beginning to grow giddy again. Streamstar purred, "Well then, I dismiss you, also," Streamstar winked, "you have my permission to hunt in ThunderClan territory." Lionpaw nodded, and with a dip of her head headed toward the exit, slipping through and sprinting towards the border to the moors, or at least, what she thought was. Her legs ached, and her torn claw was painful, but she forced herself to keep running, panting as she neared the stream.

She craned her head down, swallowing mouthfuls to quench her thirst. She cursed as she noticed the sun starting to drop down. She broke into a sprint again, paws thudding against the peaty earth. Her chest ached in pain, feeling cold and hard. It hurt to breathe. She slowed to a trot, panting. She wasn't too far from the stream at all. She hissed in frustration.

A quiet voice whispered in her ears, _Arch your back and stretch your legs farther each time you run. Trust me, it works._ She looked around again, chills creeping up her spine once more. She shook her head, deciding to try it. She broke into a slow gallop, curling her spine in and each time to gain more ground, stretched her front legs to propel herself forward in a more jump-like fashion. Wind roared in her ears, creating a whistling sound that rang through her head. Her paws sunk into the earth, leaving small prints in the direction she was running. Still, she was tired from her earlier runs, but she wasn't as tired from when she ran before. She skidded to a halt when she saw the forms of the others all gathered. She panted; ears flat. She flinched under the burning gaze of Adder.

He growled, "No prey?"

She shook her head nervously. He just grunted, turning around. She fell to the back of the group, a question burned in the back of her head

 _Why did she let me join just like that?_

 **AN: aHUHUHU**

 **Let me just tell ye this; the ruins group did kill WindClan, but it isn't the end of em cc:**

 **Kill and Upgrade count:**

 **+Lion to Lionpaw**


	3. Dry Laughter

Chapter Three

Lionpaw blinked, fur bristling in anticipation. The moon was almost high, and the toms going to sleep one-by-one. Honey and her siblings were all snoring in deep sleep. She had slept after the hunt, waking up only when her brother's playing disturbed her. She felt a ball of excitement in her stomach, tail twitching impatiently. She hissed quietly with satisfaction when the last tom slid into his nest. Lionpaw slipped out of the den, behind a pile of collapsed stone and rubbish. The guard was pacing back and forth,and she saw her chance. She slipped behind another pile, keeping lower to the ground as it was smaller. Once he was facing the opposite direction, she slipped out of the camp, shaking with fear and curiosity. She leapt up onto a stone wall padding along until something struck her.

She stopped, hissing to herself. Her scent would still be there, stronger than yesterdays. She dropped off the stone wall into an old garden, rolling around in the uncontrolled greenery. She leapt back up onto the wall, quickly sprinting across, toward the forest. She winded along the path, making sure not to trail over the scent from yesterday. She approached the fence, jumping up. She scrabbled with her hind legs, hauling herself over it.

She dropped onto the ground below, peering into the forest. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, and she padded into the forest, weaving through the undergrowth. Her ears pricked back, listening for any noise to signify that anyone was following her. The opened her mouth slightly, scenting the air.

She narrowed her eyes, there was another scent wafting around, it was familiar, but she couldn't identify it. Suddenly, there was a rustle above her, and she quickly rolled out of the way, leaping to her paws in an attacking position. She relaxed when she saw the colors of Streamstar's pelt, and her familiar scent came clear. Streamstar nodded, "Good reflexes. We'll be working on battle and defense for this moon, and only that. Maybe once in a while we will hunt but only for a few days. Our main goal is to get your family to safety, correct?"

Lionpaw nodded, bristling in anticipation. Streamstar stilled, curling her tail over her paws. She spoke, "Attack me."

Lionpaw faltered for a second, but straightened up. She sprang, swerving to one side. Her eyes flitted to Streamstar's tail, and she opened her jaws, preparing to clamp onto it. Her jaws shut on empty air, and she let out a wheeze when a weight landed on her back. Streamstar purred, "Rule number one, don't look where you plan to aim." She stepped off the apprentice, who lay still for a few seconds before lifting herself back up.

They trained like that for a while; it took many, many tries until Lion managed to even make a blow.

From then, she snuck out every night, training with Streamstar until her senses grew sharper, and she got bigger, well-muscled, and capable of defending and fighting. She came back bruised and battered, exhausted every day she came back to the Ruins.

-lol time skip brow wiggle-

Lionpaw yawned, waiting for Streamstar to show up. Tomorrow was the day they were going to kill Honey, or at least, try to. They had agreed that they wouldn't train today, but go over it so Lionpaw could return home quickly and sleep. She dipped her head when she saw the leader approaching. Lion spoke first, "Tomorrow they're going to try to kill her."

Streamstar nodded grimly, and spoke, "I will wait at the WindClan border to bring them back to the camp, or at least somewhere safe. They do not know where we are, do they?"

Lion shook her head, "No, they don't know where the camp is, they don't even know any others live here."

Streamstar grunted, "Good, then. I've trained you well. I believe in you, young apprentice. All you need to do is get them out, try to escape if you can. ThunderClan will give you a home." Lionpaw nodded, sitting straighter. She was a little shocked when Streamstar gave her a lick between the ears, and spoke softly, "Get back to the Ruins, Lionpaw. Your life depends on it."

Lionpaw nodded, giving Streamstar a look before running off towards the border. Her muscles rippled under her pelt satisfyingly. She leapt up the fence in one movement, pulling herself over. She rolled in the dirt to cover up her scent again, before getting to her paws and heading back to the Ruins. The entrance appeared, simply a hole in a collapsing wall of stone. She peered in, eyes narrowing. There was no guard, and she slipped back in, stepping behind the rubble piles. She quickly slipped into the kit den, curling beside her siblings. She felt big and awkward around them now, mainly because she got more to eat and exercise to keep herself healthy and growing.

She shut her eyes, drifting into a light doze.

Lionpaw woke up to a shove, she pried open her eyes. Her blood ran cold, the two toms from before were holding Honey, and pushing her siblings along. She jumped to her paws, walking side-by-side with Sap. Phinn wondered aloud, "I wonder where they're taking us." The others, including Sap all nodded.

Lionpaw growled, before speaking, "They're gonna kill Honey."

They stared at her like she was crazy, and the tom kits scoffed, "Stop lying, Lion!"

She snapped back, "They killed Hummingbird! Do you not remember? When I came back completely covered in blood?" That's when they fell silent, staring at the ground. She flattened her ears, feeling a pang of guilt. They were being lead through the crowd of toms to the center, and she bristled when they looked at her like a juicy piece of prey. In fact, she couldn't help it when a gray tom snaked his tail out and ran it over her shoulders. She bit it hard, ignoring his yowl of pain. She hissed viciously, tail lashing. Surprisingly, no one stopped her or gave her a cuff over the ear.

She grunted when she was pushed down, obviously forced like the rest of the kits. She stilled, and then was released. They sat neatly, the others either scared or curious, so they stayed put. Howl came out of the clearing, staring at the kits, his gaze lingering on her. They locked eyes, his blank, hers challenging. Howl rumbled, "Honey's kit reach the age of eight moons today, thus, we will kill Honey." Roars echoes through the clearing from the toms, who looked excited; most likely wondering if they were going to be chosen to kill the she-cat. Howl's gaze swept the clearing, before he growled, "Moon, Mine. You two will kill the she-cat." The two toms, Hummingbird's kits, stepped forward, claws unsheathed. Sap was stiff in horror. Lionpaw whispered into her ear, quiet enough for only her to hear.

"I'm going to attack them, when I do; you and mother run to the moors. There will be someone to help you at the stream that divides the moors and the forest." Sap relaxed slightly, and gave a small nod, eyes flickering with hope and relief. Lion stiffened; Moon's back was to her, claws raised to strike Honey on the stomach. Lion waited for a few seconds, and then sprang with a yowl, "NO!"

Yowls of shock echoed around as she landed on Moon, claws digging into his back. She showed no mercy, clamping her jaws around the back of his neck. She bit down, and then a sickening crack echoed around the clearing. She yowled at Sap, "Run! NOW!" Sap launched off, and Honey clearly took the message, following after. They both ran through the crowd. Lion followed closely, her heart racing. All three of them shot out of the exit. Lion hissed, "Go to the stream, there will be a black and white she-cat. She'll take you to safety!" Blood stained the ground where she ran, so she doubled back, jumping onto a wall so they couldn't follow the others. She hissed when something knocked her down. It was Mine, and two other toms were behind him. She kicked Mine off, using her strength to her advantage. He skidded in the dirt, and she spun on her paws, kicking him square in the jaw with a hind leg.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sap and Honey jump over the fence, not looking back. She sighed in relief. They were safe. She turned her gaze back to Mine, who was shaking his head clear of blood. The other two toms looked at her in shock. She sneered, "What? Didn't expect a she-cat to fight back?" Mine jumped at her, eyes crazed in grief and rage. The odd thing was, she didn't feel a single pang of guilt for causing his brother's death. She shoved a paw up, claws digging into his chest. She tore down, creating a bloody mess.

Mine screamed in pain, writhing. She growled, "Now you understand the pain you were going to but my mother through. The pain your mother went through!" She was bristling, legs and face coated with blood. She was knocked down yet again, and she struggled snarling and scratching with her hind legs at her attacker's stomach. Another grabbed her scruff, and the bigger tom released his grip.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her mouth, she knew how to counter a grip on the scruff. It was her favorite move. She went limp, as if defeated. The toms were stupid enough to believe it, because he placed her down, probably trying to deliver a death blow to her. She got to her paws faster than a strike of lightning, grabbing the tom by the shoulders. She twisted her claws in his flesh, using her strength to throw him down of the stone ground. Yet again there was another cracking sound, there was blood too. He writhed and screeched, before lying still. She growled, legs shaking. The last tom there grabbed her by the scruff, holding on with a death grip.

She let herself get carried back to the camp. She was exhausted, her paws felt heavy from the blood. But there was the strong feeling of satisfaction; she saved her mother and sister from this fate. She was dropped in the center of the camp, and she stood, gaze scanning all the cats in the clearing. She stalked to the center, where Howl stood, eyes dark. No fear pierced her hard, only cold hate, and something she found odd. Amusement.

Howl growled, "Do you have any idea what you've done, she-cat?"

Lionpaw growled back, "I have a name, filthy tom."

She barely held back a fit of laughter when all the toms in the clearing stared at her in shock. Howl swiped a paw at her, and she side-stepped it. She snapped, "I do know what I did, filth. I helped rid this place of some incapable garbage."

Howl roared, "How dare you"

She purred this time as he ranted, "You kill one of my toms, come in here, and ridicule us all. You're a she-cat! You have no rights here!"

Lionpaw couldn't help but laugh, tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. She wheezed, "Not one, filth. Three. Three of your 'precious' toms, you care so deeply for." Her voice was tinted with bitter sarcasm.

She shoved her face into his, voice growing bitter as she spoke, "Tell me, what's the difference between she-cats and toms other than one can have kits? Not their roles, that's for sure. A strong she-cat comes along, capable of _killing_ _every single tom in this camp!_ You still treat them like trash. I just showed you up, filth. Two of 'your' she-cats escaped, how do you feel?"

Howl was silent; but she knew his expression well, the bristling fur, dilated pupils, shaky breath. It was fear. She crowed, "The mighty Howl, showed up by a she-cat!"

Howl spoke, stuttering slightly, "Y-You scum! I'll show you how a she-cat is supposed to be treated in the Ruins." His paw was lifted in the air, claws unsheathed.

She growled, exposing her side, "Come one already, don't tell me you're scared." Howl hissed at her, claws piercing the side with no scar, dragging down. It hurt, but not as bad at the one from before.

He growled, "You're now one of my she-cats. Go to th-"

Lion snarled, "Piss off!" She stalked away, despite the pain. She knew exactly where the she-cats den was, and entered. She immediately curled up in the corner, cleaning out her wound, and getting the blood off her fur. The she-cats in the den stared at her, and she simply hissed, going back to her job.

She had showed up that tom.

She could do it again.

She'd show them all.

 **AN: wHOO THIS ONE WAS PAINFUL TO WRITE WITH WRITER S BLOC k yyels. Well Lion may or may not be crazy. Its more of a defiance thing where she hates all the toms with such large amount of anger that she's easily amused by their pain and anger. (She also got a large pain tolerance ayy)**

 **Review for a Sap plushy (yes w e will see the clans again, obviously hahaha)**


	4. Shit

**DiSCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE WARRIORS SERIES**

 **Also *IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH SAME SEX COUPLES, LEAVE CHIL D**

Chapter Four

Lionpaw stretched, jaws opening in a wide yawn. The she-cat's den was unbearably crowded, and she wanted to leave desperately. It had been about a week since Honey and Sap had managed to escape, and she was on close guard. Even the she-cats steered clear of her, eyes filled with either respect or fear. She, thankfully, was yet to be assigned a mate. She growled when she heard Howl's yowl from outside. She twitched her ears, it was barely morning, and mealtime couldn't be this early.

She stepped out of the den first, ever since her attack on Moon, she was treated as the head of the she-cats, eating first, sleeping first, leaving first, even. Red followed after her, head low. Lionpaw placed her tail over her friend's shoulders gently, before looking back up. She growled, passing through the group of toms that always crowded around the den when they were leaving. She growled at the tails and paws that came from the crowd, either touching or pulling in a she-cat. She whipped around when Red gave a small squeal of fear. A tom was running his tail along Red's back, obviously making her uncomfortable. Lionpaw snarled, "Get off of her!"

Her paw flashed out quicker than a snake, raking across his face. Blood welled from the wound, and he gave her a shocked look, reeling back. She spat at him, turning back. Red pressed close to her, and she let her, eyes hard. Ever since she had left the kit-den, she and Red and grown awfully close, for her mainly because Red was the only she-cat who talked or greeted her. They stopped at the edge of the clearing space, where the hunters stood. Suddenly, it struck her, there was going to be a hunt today! If she wasn't picked, she could try to sneak out since there would be fewer toms out. Howl spoke, voice booming, "There will be a grand hunt today! We shall feast tonight in honor of the creator of the Ruins. All the she-cats and hunters will be going on a hunt today!" Lionpaw felt a tingle of excitement; maybe she could help more she-cats out of this horrid place. Howl looked at the crowd, "Today is a special case. I will be going with the group to see how well they hunt."

Lionpaw bristled; he was staring at her, eyes narrowed. She darkened her eyes, staring him down. He looked away first, and she felt a prickle of satisfaction in her stomach. The hunters had gone to the center, and she stalked forward, the rest of the she-cats behind her. She twitched her ears, watching as Rose and Jagged padded from the kit-den, the she-kits following. She was going by priorities. The two mothers needed to get out, as well as the ones expecting. Speckle and Glass managed to get out, both at least a moon away from kitting. That was four, as well at four she-kits, so eight she would try to get free. She would try to work slowly. Eight missing was pushing the limit.

Howl leapt down, and grunted, "Let's go, everyone." She growled when she was being pushed again, but accepted it. She stared at Howl's back, holding back the urge to attack. They headed back to the moors. Lionpaw sighed when they landed on the grassy moors, the fast winds blowing in her face. Howl stopped, Adder at his side. Howl growled, "Same rules as every hunt, no stealing prey from others or forcing anyone to hunt for you. We will be hunting from now until sunset. Be back by then or we will find you. Now, go!" Everyone else ran off, including Howl. The queens and their kits sat in confusion still, before standing.

Lionpaw spoke suddenly, "Wait! All of you."

The queens turned around, looking fearful. Lionpaw spoke softly, "Grab the kits; I'm taking you somewhere safe. They won't find you." They stared in shock, before rushing to grab the kits. She looked around, spotting a patch of yellow flowers. She flicked her tail at it, "Roll in those, it'll hide your scent." She led them over there, rubbing the flowers on her pelt. She looked around, making sure no-one was watching them. There was nothing.

She hissed, "Hurry, follow me!" She started running, keeping her pace slow so they could keep up. Her heart thumped, exhilaration making her blood run cold. Lionpaw spotted the stream, splashing through it to cover her scent even more. The queens did as well, rushing back up to her. She pushed through the bracken, desperately hoping to find a patrol. It was late morning though; the dawn patrol must be at camp already. She looked back again, nothing was there. She nodded at the queens, leaping through the undergrowth, her pads tore on loose stones, but that didn't matter. She needed to get these queens to safety. She spotted the thorn bush that signaled the entrance to the camp. She turned, and spoke to the queens, "There's a drop here, be careful and follow me."

She slipped through, waiting for the queens to come in. A yowl sounded in the camp, and they flinched away. She whispered, "It's alright!" She had sometimes gone on the dawn patrol, so the cats in the camp knew who she was. She quickly made her way down to the camp. She spotted Mintpaw, who bounded towards her.

Lionpaw purred a greeting to the blue-gray she-cat, "Mintpaw!"

Mintpaw head-butted her in the shoulder, growling playfully, "Welcome back, you loaf!"

Lionpaw straightened up, "Is Streamstar in the den? I need to speak with her." Mintpaw nodded, and she dipped her head in thanks. She turned around to the queens, "Come with me."

She managed to get half-way something barreled her over with a cry of, "Lion!"

Lionpaw looked down to see her tortie-pelted sister, Sap. She looked up, Honey was there too. She purred, nuzzling her sister's head. Sap was way more playful than she expected, looking bigger and much healthier already. Sap finally released her death grip on her, stuttering a bit, "O-OH, sorry! You need to speak with Streamstar, don't you?"

She nodded, but touched Sap's nose, "I'll be back out soon though. Trust me." Sap gave her a small nod, and she quickly entered Streamstar's den, the queens following behind her, silent. Lionpaw murmured softly, "Streamstar?"

"Yes?" Lionpaw saw the she-cat lift her head from her nest, blue eyes sharp and alert.

Lionpaw dipped her head before continuing, "I brought more she-cats that need shelter. They all have kits or are expecting."

Streamstar stood, shaking her pelt, "Very well, ThunderClan will give them a home. I have spoken about this matter with the leader of ShadowClan; they have agreed to shelter these cats until they are safe. If you have any others who need to escape soon, take them to the clan in the marsh."

Lionpaw nodded; tail twitching, "Are you going to be calling a meeting?"

Streamstar answered, "Yes." She dipped her head, leading the queens out of the den. She turned back to the queens.

"You're going to be safe here, the toms have no idea this place exists. If they find it, you will be taken to another place or be protected. They have prey here, no mealtimes; they train for hunting and fighting as long as you promise your loyalty." She almost jumped out of her fur when Rose stumbled forward, pulling her into something like a hug..?

She cried, "Thank you, I can be at rest knowing my kits won't see my death before their very eyes." Lionpaw was speechless; she didn't expect to be thanked at all. She kind of just sat there, a shocked expression on her face. Rose finally pulled back, her soft brown eyes filled emotion. IT was then when Streamstar called the meeting.

She spoke, "I'm sure you have all seen the new cats in camp." Mews of agreement rang through the clearing. Streamstar continued, "I think it is time you all know what this is all about." More murmuring echoed around. Lionpaw sat still, waiting for Streamstar to continue, "All these cats come from the Ruins, as Lionpaw has told me about. She-cats there are treated unfairly, limited to a single den, rarely going on hunts, being forced to have kits."

Shocked yowls rang around this time, including words

"Let's fight them!"

"All the she-cats can be safe here!"

"They're cowardly!"

Streamstar waited for silence, speaking once the roars quieted down, "We have agreed with ShadowClan to keep these she-cats safe, we will shelter them and let them join. For now, these queens will stay in the nursery, where they can nurture their kits in peace."

Streamstar nodded at her, so she stood. Lionpaw dipped her head, and opened her jaws to speak, "I will work from the inside; getting she-cats out of the living hell they're confined to. I can promise that. I know I can't save them all, but I can try." She took a breath, "I've seen what they do, and it is not the type of thing any of you would want to go through."

She narrowed her eyes at the skeptical looks she was getting, and grunted, "I know some of you are thinking, 'How does an eight moon old know this?'" She bristled, "A queen was brutally murdered in front of me, her kits torn away from her. They tried to do the same to my mother. They failed." The clearing was silent, and she sat back down, curling her tail over her paws neatly.

Streamstar nodded, "Meeting dismissed." Soon, the clan dispersed into groups, murmuring their thoughts. Lionpaw stood, casting a glance at the clan, before heading towards the exit, slipping into the forest. She padded through, ears pricked forward to listen for prey. Her eyes narrowed when she heard scratching. She lowered herself to the ground, pinpointing the noise. She spotted a movement by the root of a tree, where a fat mouse sat, nibbling on a seed. She crept closer, and then pounced. The mouse hung limply in her jaws, twitching slightly before settling.

Soon, she had a heaping pile of prey, having to hold her prey by the tail to fit some of it in her mouth. She had been lucky and found a rabbit that strayed over the border, which she tucked under her chin. Still, there was a pile that she couldn't hold. It was little after sunhigh, she had time to kill. Maybe she could go back to the WindClan camp and fix some things, bury the rest of the dead. Holding her prey tightly, she crossed the border, splashing through the stream. She trekked up the hills, the sun bearing down on her.

She growled through the prey, wishing there was at least some form of shade. Soon, she came upon the camp, slipping through. It was still empty, but the odd thing was that there were less bone remains and cat scent. She frowned slightly, dropping the prey on a bundle of leaves. She shrugged; it was possible some cat might have come here and buried a few that they could find. She peered inside the dens, most were empty.

Only two dens had the dead lying in their nests. She thanked the sun, which dried the soft sand and made it easier to break and crumble, meaning she could dig with her claws sheathed. First, she tugged out the nests, and then started digging. She only had to dig four holes now, and then maybe she could start on fixing the dens. Maybe there were survivors who would come back to see their camp fixed.

She finished the first, placing the moss nest inside, looking around. There was a den, where she spotted some wilted flowers. She entered it, the scent of herbs surprising her. She grabbed a few flowers; they were white with yellow centers. She dropped one inside, starting to scrape the dirt back over. She filled it, making a small mound in the ground.

She started on the other three, finishing them quickly. Soon, all the dead were buried, and she sat, legs slightly sore. She decided to explore the camp more, starting with the den she got the flowers from. Like the ThunderClan camp, this was a medicine cat den. Dried leaves and flowers were neatly organized in cracks along the wall. Berries were stored in pits in the ground, covered with dry bark. There were nests, some older. She felt the moss and leaves on them, which were dry and terrible scratchy. She frowned slightly, she should replace them.

She decided to start on this one, mainly because it wasn't a built den, so she wouldn't have to repair any of the walls. She rolled up the few nests that scattered the den, pushing them outside. She slipped out, entering another den. It only had one nest in it, but it was just like the ones inside the medicine cat's den, scratchy and dry. She picked it up, placing it in the pile of dry bedding. She entered the bigger one, the warriors den. She was slightly shocked to see that some of the nests had been replaced, some nervousness creeping over her. Still, she rolled up the bad ones, tossing them outside. Soon, she had cleaned out the dens, starting to roll it out of the camp.

She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she thought she saw a movement above the camp, and she whipped around, bristling. She looked around, but there was nothing. She groaned to herself, "Why did they give us so much time to just hunttttt." She fell on her side dramatically, even though there was no one to see. She jumped to her paws, sighing, "Might as well start fixing the dens."

She left the camp, scavenging for tough grass, sticks, any soft plant material. There were blooming heather bushes, and with a slight struggle, she snagged a few of them. Soon, her mouth was open painfully wide with materials. She awkwardly made her way back to the camp, feeling relief wash over her when she saw there was nothing in the camp. She made her way to one of the few dens that had some sort of support on them, tearing out faulty and breaking parts.

She looked back again when shadows moved at the edges of her vision. She shivered, turning back to the den, starting to work as best as her unskilled paws could. She took the few sticks she found, trying her best to push them into place. She looked at the sky; the sun was starting to dip down, signaling that sunset was soon. She started wrapping the more flexible pieces around the sticks, filling gap space with soft grass and other plants she found. She was about to get more materials for the next den when she bumped into something, causing her to take a few steps back. She stared in shock, before her, was a group of wiry, lean, and tall cats, some more than others. She was dumbfounded, sitting there, staring for a few seconds longer.

She quickly straightened herself, flattening her ears slightly. She spoke, a slight stutter in her voice, "W-What are you doing here?" She bristled slightly, preparing herself to be attacked.

The one she bumped into, a tom, leaned down, and growled, "The real question is, what're _you_ doing in the WindClan camp, kit?"

She bristled, "I thought WindClan was dead?" She swept her tail across the clearing, at all the mounds in the earth, "I mean, I had to bury most of the fallen." She stared back at him, bristling slightly. They said nothing, just stared. She backed up more, feeling unnerved by their staring. She muttered, "Uh, hello?"

No response. She needed to get out of here. She noticed she was by her prey; and with a quick movement, grabbed the tails to fit it all and bolted, jumping onto one of the stone dens. There was a yowl from behind her, and for a split second, something grabbed her tail. She lashed it, forcing whatever had it to let go. She jumped over the wall, starting to run. She kept in mind what she had heard, curving her back and stretching out her legs the more she ran. She had left about two pieces behind to bring the rabbit, since it was big. She picked up the pace when she heard pawsteps behind her. Her ears twitched when she heard a quiet discussion from behind her

"How does this kit know how to run like a WindClan cat?"

"No idea, but we 'gotta catch her."

She hissed through her prey, nearing the twoleg-place border. She scanned across the border, eyes spotting most of the hunting group, possible waiting for the rest to get there. She ran straight towards them, skidding to a halt. She dropped her prey, whisking around to see if the two cats were still trying to catch her. They had stopped on a near hill, watching the group with narrowed eyes. They turned away, leaving. Howl and Adder were there, as well as most of the hunters and a few of the she-cats. Adder stared at her, questioning, "How much did you catch?"

She panted breathlessly, "There's still more." Luckily, they were close the border, where she left her extra prey under a bush. She shot off again, ignoring the pain in her chest. She bounded over the stream, sniffing out her prey. She groaned, there was still at least another trip's worth. She turned away, bending her head to lap at the cold water from the stream, calming her. She scanned it, and it was mostly mice and voles. She let out a sigh of relief; she could hold most of it by the tail. She grabbed the tailed prey, leaving only a bird and a squirrel. She scooped them up with a paw, fitting them awkwardly under her chin and, staying close to the Ruins border, began making her way back to the group.

She growled under her breath when she saw them staring. She dropped the rest of it on her pile, making the same giant pile. They stared in awe, all except for Howl and a few toms, who looked jealous.

Howl growled, "You didn't steal anything from anyone, did you?"

She yawned, "Nope." She looked back, curiosity biting her. When did the WindClan cats come back? Then she looked at her paws, would she have to lie about the missing queens? Nervousness prickled at. She lied down, resting her head on her paws. She bristled slightly when Howl moved, sitting next to her. She looked away from him, growling quietly. Her ears twitched when she heard pawsteps coming from her side. She looked up, letting out a quiet purr when she saw Red, carrying a few pieces of prey. Red settled down next to her, being dwarfed in size. Despite being younger, she was much bigger and stronger than Red, which sometimes made it hard to believe that she was way younger than her friend.

Red let out a yawn, leaning into her pelt. Lionpaw touched her nose to her friend's forehead, before settling back down. One of the she-cats, Nettle, groaned and fell on her back, "Get a room, lovebirds!" She bristled, ears flattening.

To her surprise, Red answered with a, "No thanks." She was even more shocked when she leaned up and touched noses with her. She couldn't help but smile, returning the favor. Red purred, settling back down, "Never thought it would be that easy."

Lionpaw battered her softly on her side, letting out a fake hiss, "Hush, you." Soon, it was sunset, and everyone had returned. Except for the queens and kits.

Howl stood, grunting, "Grab the prey, we're going back."

One of the toms spoke, "What about the queens? They never came back."

Howl growled, "They were weak and so were their kits, they probably got hit on the road and died trying to escape. Less mouths to feed." She could barely keep in a giant sigh of relief. Those who had little or no prey helped carry the pile she caught, each staring in awe. She growled under her breath, but it was extremely muffled through all the prey. Soon, there was no more to be held, and all of those from the hunting party had a mouthful.

They would truly feast tonight, with the amount they had. Lionpaw stayed behind to stay with Red, who kept close to her, pelts brushing. Soon, the hard ground of the Ruins was underpaw, and they were entering the camp. Yowls greeted them, and jeers. Howl stopped, dropping his load of prey in the center. Her pelt bristled from the stares. One by one, they dropped their prey in the center. She dropped hers, leaving to sit by the she-cats den. Red soon came trotting back to her, sitting right next to her. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth while she waited for Howl to address them.

Howl let out a loud yowl, silencing the clearing. He rumbled, "Today is a feast, to honor the creators of what we have today." Yowls echoed across the clearing again, tension spiking the air. He purred, "As the tradition, at the end of the feast, the head tom of the Scouts, Trainers, Hunters, Fighters, and I will fight to become the head she-cat's mate." At that sentence, she felt sick. She was known as the head of the she-cats. She narrowed her eyes when a few of the toms turned to stare at her.

Then, Howl yowled, "The feast may begin!" Suddenly, all the cats shot forward, even her, at the prey pile. There was fighting for good food, and the sound of tearing and snapping. She swerved around someone, grabbing a giant rabbit, it was a good find. She ran back to her spot, where Red still was, too fearful to move. She dropped the rabbit in front of her, licking her lips. Red nodded her thanks, giving her a smile. They both finished the rabbit, which was reduced to a pile of bones and scraps. She licked her lips, waiting the inevitable.

Red spoke, "I don't understand why we have to have mates, let alone always toms."

Lionpaw shrugged, "Eh, the toms here are stupid, to say the least. They shouldn't force a mate on anyone." She touched Red's ear with her nose, "Especially when they've already found one."

Red stiffened, stuttering, "L-Lion! You're making me embarrassed!" She purred, a laugh stuck in her throat. Soon, there was no more prey left on the pile, and her heart sank. The four head toms stalked out into the center, they were Cinder, Prowl, Lucky, and of course, Adder.

Howl dropped down, leaving a crestfallen mate behind him, who would be downgraded to just a plain she-cat. Soon, fighting broke out and yowls of support echoing around. Blood splattered across the ground. She winced when she saw Lucky fall back, bloodied and torn. He had left the fight. He limped painfully, one leg sticking out at a bad angle. She growled, and despite herself, rushed forward to help the injured tom to Juniper's den. He stared at her until she snapped, "Come on, you're obviously hurt, I'm just helping. You can lean on me." He didn't say anything, but did use her for support. Despite being smaller, she could handle his weight. They entered Junipers den, where he was sleeping. She didn't know how, because she could hardly handle the fighting outside.

She helped Lucky settle down into one of the more comfortable spots before prodding Juniper awake, "Hey, you've got a patient." Juniper stood before she could move, walking straight over to Lucky to start. She sighed, heading outside. She stopped, there was no more noise. The fighting was over. Dread crawled over her skin as she walked out, the toms parting to let her through.

She already knew who was going to win when it started. There, standing in the middle of the clearing with a grin of satisfaction on his face, was Howl.

She growled, saying one thing only, something she had heard many others say, but didn't know what it meant. She was sure it applied to this, though.

"Shit."

 **AN: aaAAGAH WRITERS BLOCK CAME BACK. Sorry if this chapter seems like an absolute wreck ahaha. I was actually planning for Red X Lion for a long time, lik e a LONG TIME.**

 **Lets clea r this up, Red had an admiration for our smol bean Lion ever since the smol tried to save Red as a kit. Lion thought of her as a friend, and that emotion gre to the point where Lion didn't know what it was but it was a liking towards Red as more than a friend uvu**

 **Another thing that needs to be made clear**

 **I AM A FULL SUPPORTER OF THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY**

 **I DO** _ **NOT**_ **WISH TO FETISHIZE IT AL ALL**

 **If you are homophobic, or against any other form, (transgender, binary, ect.) please, don't read my stories.**

 **Thank you guys for all the support for this story though, hopefully I can fight off this writers block**

 **Review for a Lion plushie, 100% real nOT A SCAM**


	5. You're dead, Sweetheart

Chapter 5

Lionpaw stood still, glaring when Howl approached her. She growled a warning, tail starting to lash. Confidence shone in his eyes, as if he expected she wouldn't do anything to him. She finally spoke when he put his head around her neck. She purred, "You really are bad at following directions, aren't you?" She ducked away from him, giving him a strike over the nose. She backed into a battle stance, claws unsheathed.

Howl tipped his head to one side, "You want to fight, she-cat?"

She sat, licking her lips, "I know I'll lose, I'm only eight moons. But it wouldn't be fun to just give up, would it?" The two cats circled each other. Howl yowled, springing. She let herself be tackled, but hooked her claws into Howl's shoulders, dragging them down the more they tussled. She broke away from him, crouching, claws unsheathed.

She jumped this time, eyes flitting towards his right shoulder. At the last moment, she shifted her aim for his left, teeth digging into it. He screeched, grabbing her tail and tugging her off. She growled, eyes narrowing. Howl came at her again, massive paws swiping repeatedly at her. She backed up. He had to drop soon though, and that's when she moved. She twisted around on her forepaws, using a back leg to kick him hard in the face. She was exhausted from the fight, and with a yawn, muttered, "Okay, okay. You win."

He simply approached her again, and she stood still, tail curled neatly over her paws. She narrowed her eyes, keeping her fur flat, despite the urge to bristle. She held in a hiss when he clawed her face, and snarled, "You don't defy your mate, she-cat." She hissed under her breath, ears flat. He growled, "Come on." He stood, starting to leave the camp. She followed, her ears flat. She gave the group of she-cats a fleeting glance, before slipping out of the camp with Howl. He weaved through broken buildings, stopping by one old run-down house. He spoke, "Do you know what this place is?"

She answered sarcastically, "What? It's an old house. I never would have known."

Howl growled, eyes narrowing, "Enough. This is the main place for mating." A trickle of excitement crept into his voice, "You're only eight moons old, you can't have kits yet. Which means-"

She cut him off with a snarl, "Don't you dare, filth. I'd rather be beaten that let you _rape_ me, for StarClan's sake!" She stiffened; she had just said something that would be used in the clans, not in the Ruins. She flattened her ears.

Luckily, he didn't question it, but answered, "Your choice, she-cat." She hissed when he hit her across the head, causing her to stumble. She shook her head, glaring at him. His paw came crashing down again, tearing across her ears. Blood quickly streamed from the wounds, blinding her in one eye. She shook her head again, scattering blood on the grass.

She felt the sting of more blows, blood spilling out onto the grass. They soon subsided, and she stood, gritting her teeth. She growled, "Fine, I'll be your little she-cat. I'll play your stupid game, but, you have to make a deal with me."

Howl narrowed his eyes, claws still unsheathed. She growled, "You let me out when I want to, I'll promise to come back. If I don't, well. I don't care what you do; hunt me down for all I care."

He growled, "Fine, deal. You're staying here for the night at least." She shrugged, ignoring the horrible pain it caused. He stood back up, leaving. She sat there for a few moments, before following him out, ignoring the sting it caused. They entered the camp again, where the toms were lounging about, and the she-cats all in their dens. She broke away from Howl, trying to enter the den, but he snapped, "Nope. You don't sleep in there anymore." She frowned slightly, giving the den a single glance. She growled under her breath when Howl entered his den, beckoning her forward. She slipped in, staring at the big grey tom. It was surprisingly cool inside the den, a small hole causing moonlight to shine into the den.

Howl settled into the nest, which was where the moonlight shone down on. He patted the empty space with his tail, eyes glued onto her. She bristled, stalking off to the edge of the den and settling down there. Despite the cold, hard ground, she found herself dozing off.

 _Lionpaw crept along the lake, eyes watching a mouse on the roots of the Sky Oak, the large tree by the shore. She licked her lips, edging closer. Right when she was about to pounce, a caterwaul rang through the chilly air, causing the mouse to run to the lake. She lunged after it, flinching when her paws hit cold ice. The lake was frozen._

 _She stared in awe, looking down through the thick layer of frozen water. The lake below swirled and moved slowly, changing into patterns. She puffed up her fur against the chill, letting herself slide around the lake, playfulness creeping into her veins. Using her hind legs, she skidded around the ice, claws making small marks that created swirls. She attempted to stop, claws making a horrible screeching noise as she came to a halt. She stared into the dark waters again, squinting her eyes when something moved._

 _She barely had any time to move when the face of a cat appeared under the water and the ice started cracking. Cold fear spread through her, and she turned around, slipping and falling. She shrieked when the ice cracked below her, dunking her body into ice cold water. Jaws grabbed onto her leg, tugging her under the ice. She thrashed, the water restricting her movements. Water filled her mouth and nose, and she desperately tried to spit it out. Her chest started hurting, the gap getting farther away as the ice started closing around it and she was pulled deeper._

 _Voices echoed in her ears, all whispering the pleas._

" _Help us!"_

" _Save us, please!"_

" _You're our only hope!"_

 _With one last heave, she broke away from the grip, lungs aching, towards the gap. It would freeze over soon. She splashed through the surface, spitting out the cold water. She quickly dragged herself onto the ice, shivering and throwing up mouthfuls that she had swallowed._

 _She took in a deep breath, shivering. Her wet fur had started turning white, freezing in the chilly air and causing her skin to burn. She closed her eyes, shaking hard._

 _It's so cold…_

 _Maybe…_

 _Maybe sleep will help…_

 _She felt herself falling back onto the ice, breathing getting shallower. The voices faded in her ears until all that was heard was the wind in the trees of the forests._

Lionpaw's eyes shot open, the chill from her dream still in her fur. She stared at her paw, shaking in fear when she noticed the frosted tips. She was soaked, the night air freezing the water. She shivered, wondering how her dream could pass to the real world, let alone in spring! Maybe there was a late frost, or something. She stood, feeling the sting of her skin and the small shards of ice cracking and falling off, taking strands of fur and skin with them. She winced, licking her pelt, along with the wounds, which where bloody and dry.

It was still terribly cold, and she was beginning to feel tired again. She stared at the nest, where Howl slept on his side. She growled to herself, "Just once." Still shaking, she crept into the nest, lying on her side. Howl immediately noticed her soaked pelt, blue eyes cracking open to stare at her.

He growled softly, "Why are you all wet? Were you outside?"

Thankful that her wet pelt didn't let her bristle, she muttered, "No."

"Then why are you completely soaked?"

She looked away, resting her head on her paws. She was silent for a few moments, before speaking softly, voice cracking, "I had a dream."

Howl spoke with a hiss in his voice, "That doesn't explain anything."

She sheathed and unsheathed a paw, growling, "I fell into the lake in that dream. I woke up and I was wet, don't know why." Howl didn't answer, but stared at her for a few seconds. She stiffened when she felt his tongue rasp across her pelt, slowly relaxing. She closed her eyes, letting out a small sigh. Strangely, comfort spread through her. A memory flickered in her head as she started to fall asleep, growing limp in the nest.

 _Yowls and screeches rang in her ears, though they were slightly muffled and distanced. She tried to look around, realizing that she couldn't see. Fear pounded in her chest until a soft murmuring reached her ears, "Hush my kit, it will be alright." The voice was incredibly familiar, but she couldn't tell whose it was. The soft murmuring continued, cutting off with a yowl. She flinched, trying to speak. All that came out was distressed mewling. Terror pounded in her chest, and she tried to scramble back. In the moment of terror, her eyes cracked open, staring at the den. Everything was blurry, but she could see two shapes fighting not too far away from her, one black and white, the other big and grey._

 _Something gold colored blocked her vision, curling around her, speaking one word very softly._

" _Lion."_

Lionpaw opened her eyes groggily, feeling a paw prod her side. She looked up, seeing Howl's face, albeit blurry and slightly distorted. She stumbled to her paws, stretching. She frowned, noticing her fur was still damp. Howl grumbled, "It's time for the morning mealtime. Come on." With a yawn, she followed him out of the den, squinting against the harsh light. Despite the sunlight, she felt a chill run up her spine. Almost everyone was looking at her. She flattened her ears, noticing the looks. The toms were looking at her with greed and lust, the she-cats looking either betrayed or defeated. Her eyes landed on Red, who stared at her with soft eyes.

Howl stepped forward, leaning down and tearing into a rabbit. He stopped midway to look at her, and growled, "You can eat too." She bristled, stepping around the pile and stalking to the group of she-cats. They shuffled back slightly, allowing her to sit at the front, the spot for head she-cat.

She curled her plumy tail over her paws, spitting, "I might be playing your little game, but I refuse to use my rank as an excuse to be well fed every day while the others starve." She settled down, feeling a flicker of amusement when she saw Howl staring at her in offense. He shrugged, finishing his portion and letting the other toms eat. She snuffled, wincing. She had probably caught a chill, but she was still puzzled on how the dream could pass to reality.

She watched the pile reduce in size, until the last tom finished his share. She stood, walking toward the pile. There were a few mice, a plump rat, and two squirrels. She looked back, counting how many she-cats there were.

 _Eighteen not including me… Hm._

She looked back at the prey, counting it.

 _Ten pieces of prey._

She started parting them, using an unsheathed paw to tear of limbs to make equal portions for each she-cat, excluding herself. She looked back up, stepping back. She nudged Red, who quickly scuttled towards the prey. She ate it quickly, running back to her. One by one, the she-cats went, eating their share. Soon, it was all gone, and the cats dispersed. She stalked over to Howl, a slight growl in her voice, "I'm going outside, I'll be back later." She turned tail on him, stalking towards the entrance. No-one stopped her when she slipped out, and started speed-walking towards the wall that marked the border. She sighed when she dropped onto the moors, the wind rushing in her face. She looked to the forest, starting a slow trot to loosen her stiff muscles. Pain lashed across her shoulders when she stretched a wound, causing her to stumble, hissing in pain.

She screwed her eyes shut, feeling blood stream from the wound. She growled irritably, trying to keep running. She winced, as one-by-one, the pain from her wounds and bruises returned, forcing her to limp. She stopped at the stream, feeling her fur bristle. She hesitated, pacing back and forth for a while. She screwed her eyes shut, wading through it. The water crept into her already wet fur, making odd lukewarm-like water, it still felt cold but warm at the same time. She pulled herself out of the stream, stumbling into the forest.

She winced when she tripped on a rock, causing her chin to hit the ground, making a new wound. She bristled, getting to her paws. She favored her front left foreleg, where she hit her paw. With the limp in her hind leg, getting to camp would be twice as hard. She wrinkled her nose from the stench of blood, which was starting to subside. She dragged herself in the direction of the camp agonizingly slowly, fur getting snagged on branches and rocks through the whole trip. She sighed when she finally saw the bramble bush that signified the entrance. She limped through it, cursing under her breath when a thorn cut her ear. She limped down the stone edges, wincing in pain. No-one was in the clearing at the moment, but she could scent trails that led into dens. She looked around for a moment, before making her way towards Hollowtrunk's den, sighing in relief when she saw his brown and white pelt from inside the den. She slipped inside, and he noticed her immediately.

He flicked his tail at a nest, and she settled down into it, sinking into the soft moss with a sigh. He returned with a few herbs, keeping silent until he finished chewing them into a poultice. He spoke softly, "Where'd you get all those wounds?"

She grunted, "I got in a fight with one of the toms." She looked around, "Anyways, where is everyone else?"

Hollowtrunk answered quickly, "WindClan returned to the moors, but they've been despondent and aggressive. They've recently tried to take over a large portion of our territory, there's a fight over there right now."

She frowned, bristling, "I didn't see or scent anything when I came over here, what part of the border are they at?"

He started spreading the poultice over her wounds while talking, "They're by the lake I believe. You usually come here by the twoleg-place border, correct?" She nodded, giving a small shrug. She raised her head when a yowl sounded, echoing around the empty clearing. Streamstar and the rest of the warriors flooded the camp, eyes shining victoriously. She forced herself to her paws, grunting, "I'll help, Hollowtrunk."

He blinked, an amused purr in his throat, "Alright, I'll show you how to treat a wound quickly, don't over-exert yourself, though." She nodded, a small smile cracking at the edge of her lips. She followed him out of the den, squinting against the harsh sunlight. She waved her tail in greeting once her eyes adjusted to the light she followed Hollowtrunk through the crowd of injured cats. He led her to Stoneclaw, who still strongly disliked her. Hollowtrunk said nothing, but used gestures to show her what to do with treating a wound. Stoneclaw glared at her when she stepped forward, taking some of the poultice on her paw to help treat his wounds. He spat at her when she got to a wound closer to his head, eyes narrowed.

She bristled, raising a paw. She lowered it, growling to herself. She had to break that habit. She ignored his hissing after that, moving onto the others. Her ears twitched when Streamstar yowled for a meeting and, following Hollowtrunk's example, kept treating wounds. She soon finished, taking the extra supplies back to Hollowtrunk. He thanked her quickly and slipped inside his den, most likely to drop them off.

The meeting was still going on, and she twitched her ears as Streamstar called up names, "Featherpaw, Sunpaw, Dapplepaw, Nightpaw, Mintpaw, come up please." She curled her tail over her paws, it was their warrior ceremony. She felt a small bubble of excitement, for her future and the apprentices that were being named warriors at the very moment. She spoke again,

"I, Streamstar of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn."

She looked down on the apprentices, "Do you all promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

The apprentices all answered in sync, "I do."

Streamstar leapt from her perch, standing in front of them all, "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you all your warrior names. Featherpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Feathermist. StarClan honors your Courage and Strength and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." She rested her muzzle on Feathermist's head, who licked Streamstar's shoulder in return.

Streamstar moved on, "Sunpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Sunstreak, StarClan honors your Enthusiasm and Dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Dapplepaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Dapplenight, StarClan honors your Determination and Honesty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Nightpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Nightcreek, StarClan honors your Independence and Kindness, and we welcome you as full warrior of ThunderClan."

"Mintpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Mintcloud. StarClan honors your Skill and Spirit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Chanting echoed around the clearing, the newly named warriors raising their heads in pride. Streamstar purred, "I enjoy all your enthusiasm, but there are more ceremonies."

She called more names out, "Honey, Sap, Glass, Speckle, Ragged, Rose, please come forward." The Ruins she-cats crept from the crowd slowly, slightly uncertain. Streamstar smiled softly, "I ask of you only one thing, do you wish for clan names?"

The clearing was silent for a few moments, but they all shook their heads, sitting up straighter. Streamstar nodded, "Very well then, Honey, from this moment on you shall be known as Honeysong, StarClan honors your Courage and Bravery, and we welcome you a full warrior of ThunderClan." She added jokingly, "Of course, you're all going to need a little training." A few cats chuckled, but soon became silent for the rest of the ceremonies to continue. Lionpaw blanked out for most of them, but their new names were; Ragged became Clearsong, Rose became Roseshade, Glass became Iceblaze, Speckle became Sorrelcreek, and Sap became Sappaw, her mentor was Ashbreeze.

She stretched, standing. Streamstar spoke a few words extra, "I'd also like to thank Lionpaw for helping all these she-cats escape from the Ruins."

Lion opened her mouth to speak, "Thank you, but I also have my own announcement. I'd like to drop the name Lionpaw. I do not feel like a part of this clan with the distance and very few visits." She blinked, "I will go by Lion until the she-cats are free from the Ruins."

Streamstar looked slightly shocked, but nodded, "Very well." She dismissed the meeting, and Lion quickly made her way to the exit, slipping through into the forest. She quickly made her way to the border, uncertainly staring out at the moors.

She could take the longer way out and get back to the Ruins by using the border that lined the forest, or she could risk going on the moors. She shrugged, the moors would be faster and there were less holdups, she could force herself to run if necessary. She quickly crossed the stream, flinching when she felt her paws get soaked. She forced herself to ignore it, trotting along the fence, paws pattering on the soft ground below. The moors were peaceful at the moment, the wind blowing gently and causing the greenery to sway in the perfect way. She smiled, feeling a small bit of sadness as she jumped over the fence, back to the Ruins.

She weaved through the crushed buildings and piles of rubble, slipping inside the camp. She almost bumped into another cat, and she shook her head, growling. They were tall, lean, and wiry.

WindClan cats.

One of them was talking to Howl, and the only thing she caught was, "I'll leave the she-cats here to, well. Harden them up."

She slipped around them, waving her tail at Howl and muttering a casual, "Hey, I'm back." She could recognize many of the WindClan cats there, who squinted at her. She sat down next to Howl, curling her tail over her paws and staring at the WindClan tom, the same one she had bumped into on their first meeting.

He squinted at her, like the other ones. She yawned, "Yes, I know, you know me, WindClan cat. I know you too." She felt claws clip her ears, and she looked up at Howl, keeping her gaze bored.

She settled down, closing her eyes as Howl and the other cat finished their conversation. Like they had promised, the she-cats stayed there. She felt Howl shove her, and he growled, "Show them around." She stood, stretching, beckoning with her tail for them to follow her.

She growled, "This is the Ruins, the most disgusting place filled with over-confident pieces of filth. I'm sure some of them are nice, but most of them, nope."

One of the she-cat sneered, "Seeing how your leader treated you, I'm sure it won't be that hard."

She let out a dry laugh, "Oh. Forgot to tell you, I'm the unlucky one who was chosen to be his mate, so he goes easy on me. But, he did give me all the scars and wounds I currently have, so I'd shut my trap if I were you." Some of them glared at her, a few of the younger ones looking fearful. She decided to chat more, and asked, "Hey, how old do you think I am?" She asked simply because she was big for her age, dwarfing many of the she-cats who were there.

One of the younger ones stuttered, "Maybe four or five seasons? Y-You look pretty beaten up, so I mean, it wouldn't be unreasonable."

She chirped, "Nope, I'm almost nine moons old, surprising, isn't it?" She showed them around pretty quickly, stopping just before the she-cats den. She asked, her voice overly sweet, so much that it was almost bitter "Any questions? Comments? Concerns?"

The youngest one was at least apprentice age, stumbled forward, asking with a high-pitched voice, "How'd you get that scar? That one on your neck."

She blinked, she had completely forgotten about it. She sat down, "I got it when I was about three moons old, I think? I tried saving a kit older than me. They killed her mother, they were gonna scar her up pretty bad. I got it while trying to get between her and him."

She gave a forced smile, "Just don't have kits and you'll be alright."

Another asked, "What do they do if you have kits?

She growled, dropping the smile, "They murder you brutally in front of your kits once they're eight moons old." A few flinched.

The apprentice asked again, "Does that mean your mother died?"

She felt a small flicker of an emotion she had felt that day, success, "Nope, I killed someone to get her and my sister out of here." She enjoyed their questions, seeing them get all tied up on what they did there, she could collect their thoughts easily through their eyes, which expressed all their emotions. They were confused about her mainly, some disgusted, others respectful, some fearful. A majority confused. She then stood, and grunted, "So, you ready to see what the she-cats that live here look like?" Most shrugged, looking bored. She gave them a sad smile, more like a pity smile.

She poked her head inside the den, calling, "Hey guys, come on out. We have some guests." She stepped back as they exited the den, obviously shocking the WindClan cats. They were skinny, scarred, traumatized. Some flicked their tails in greeting, others staring at the ground.

She turned to face the WindClan cats, and spoke for the whole group, "The she-cats here stick together. We protect each other. We help each other. If you cannot find it in your hearts to have any pity of cooperate with any of the fellow she-cats here, well all I can say is, good luck."

She quickly dismissed the other she-cats, and asked, "Any last questions?"

The same she-cat at the start sneered at her again, "If you all managed to live through this, it'll be a piece of cake for me. You try growing up with no parents or family."

Lion sat still, speaking with a hard, bitter voice, "You try growing up with abusive toms all around you, brothers that hate and attack you, a father who only ever visited to show the toms their purpose. You try growing up in a world where a queen was brutally killed in front of you, her kit, your best friend, being horribly scarred. You try growing up in a world where your life is at risk every _single_ day. A world where nothing is right."

She growled in a voice that didn't seem like hers,

"If you think this will be easy then, sweetheart, you're dead."

 **AN: help wheezes**

 **Sorry if this chapter seems all over the place, writers block is hell and its still is glued to my back haha. Don't worry, smol Lion will get a warrior name ;)**

 **So wIndclan is here, and they actually get to serve a main purpose in this plot! wOO! I might time skip a long time in the plot (the maximum being a whole year) in the next chapter (thunderclan and ruins allegiances will be included, as well as updated with new names, ect.)**

 **Alright, poll:**

 **What do you think Lion's warrior name will be?**

 **A)Lionstrike**

 **B)Lionpetal**

 **C)Lionspirit**

 **D)Lionleaf**

 **Review for a Mintcloud plushie**


	6. Spirit Lion's Roar

**PRE A/N: HAHA IM SORRY IS ALL IM GONNA SAY IM FUCKIGN SORRY (p.s this chappie is sposed to be short and quick [why its chap 5.5])**

 **UPDATED ALLEIGANCES:**

Leader- Howl- Burly gray tom laced with scars (Blue)

Leader's Mate- Lion/Lionpaw- Fierce golden and white dappled she-cat with long fur (Dark Amber) – Head She-cat

Second in Command (Deputy) - Renegade- Dark brown tabby tom with massive paws (Amber)

Healer- Juniper- Heavily-scarred blue-gray tom (Green)

Scouts- Cinder- Savage gray tom with darker flecks (Blue)

Storm- Feral blue-gray tom with white paws (Blue)

Geno- Black tom with white muzzle and tail (Green)

Glen- Fox-red tom with black ears (Blue)

Laburnum- Golden-brown tom with blackish-brown paws (Amber)

Trice- Black, ginger, and white tortie spotted tom (Blue)

Flare- Cold black and brown tom (Green)

Trainers- Prowl- Black and white striped tom (Blue)

Pounce- Brown and white striped tom (Green)

Fire- Dark ginger tom with small claws (Blue)

Rumble- Dirty-brown tom with darker stripes (Blue)

Heath- Chocolate-brown tom with darker legs (Blue)

Spark- Dark ginger tom with lighter speckles (Amber)

Fighters- Lucky- Black and white tom (Green)

Taboo- Black tom with wide shoulders and long tail (Green)

Skitt- Savage white tom laced with scars (Blue)

Yew- Fox-red tom with long claws (Green)

Buttercup- Only fighter she-cat, cream-colored pelt with long tail (Hazel)

Yuii- Brown tom with white speckles (Blue)

Glade- Quiet silver tom with white splotches (Amber)

Blizzard- Aggressive snow-white tom (Green)

Timber- Brown tabby striped tom (Amber)

Streak- Fast blue-gray tom with white streaks (Amber)

Ginger- Dark ginger tom with white spots (Green)

Hazel- Light brown tom with darker spots (Blue)

Max- Brown tabby tom (Amber)

Hunters- Adder- Reddish-brown tom (Amber)

Xavier- Well-humored black and brown striped tom (Blue)

Jinx- Speckled salt and pepper tom (Blue)

Pine- Brown and white spotted tom (Amber)

Ebony- Black tom with white markings (Amber)

Phoenix- Ginger and golden-furred tom (Green)

Hex- Golden tabby tom (Amber)

Scott- Former house cat, brown tom (Blue)

Comet- Hazel-colored tom /w black speckles (Green)

Crackle- Snappy brown tom (Blue)

Tink-Gold and white pelted tom (Amber)

Speck- Black and white spotted tom (Green)

Dapper- Mute white tom (Blue)

Trainees- Gwen- Dark gray tom (Blue)

Phinn- Gray and white tom (Green)

Kain- Brown tabby tom (Blue)

Skid- Black and white tabby (Green)

Tomkits- Shard- Fuzzy black tom (Green)

Paper- Long-furred white tom (Amber)

She-kits- None ATM

Breeders- Badger- Black and white striped she-cat (Green)

Mate: Pine

She-cats- Red- Dark ginger she-cat (Green)

Creek- Dark brown tabby she-cat (Amber)

Cider- Dark ginger and light brown she-cat (Blue)

Paint- Dappled tortoiseshell she-cat (Green)

Water- Blue-gray she-cat with white paws (Blue)

Stella- Former Kittypet, tortoiseshell she-cat (Green)

Lead- Stone-gray she-cat (Blue)

Nettle- Black-pelted she-cat covered in scars (Dark Green)

Ember- Ginger she-cat with black speckles (Blue)

Russet- Dark brown she-cat (Amber)

Cinnamon- Cream-colored she-cat with brown speckles (Amber)

Coal- Black and white she-cat (Green)

Aloe- Dark gray she-cat (Green)

Cotton- Quiet cloudy-gray she-cat (Blue)

Feather- Dark gray and white she-cat (Blue)

Emerald- Ginger tabby she-cat (Green)

Crow- Sleek black she-cat with a fierce attitude (Hazel)

Dragonsnap- Quiet ginger she-cat (Green)

Willowtuft- Snobby black and white she-cat (Amber)

Hollowwind- Quiet brown tabby she-cat laced with scars (Blue)

Echowing- Stubborn silver tabby she-cat (Green)

Laketail- Blue-gray she-cat (Hazel)

Rabbitpaw- Jittery light brown and white spotted she-cat (Green)

Cloudpaw- Small light gray she-cat (Cloudy Blue)

ThunderClan:

Leader- Streamstar- Speckled black and white she-cat (Blue)

Deputy- Stillflower- Quiet white and gray spotted she-cat (Amber)

Medicine Cat- Hollowtrunk- Brown tom with darker stripes, white underbelly, muzzle, and tail (Green)-Thornpaw

Warriors- Leopordclaw- Tannish-gold tom with darker spots and white specks (Amber)

Oakstorm- Reddish-brown tabby tom (Green)-Lilacpaw

Maplesong- Long-legged tortoiseshell she-cat (Blue)

Echofrost- Small silver tabby she-cat speckled with white (Blue)

Shellfall- Dark gray tom with white and black flecks (Green)

Skystream- Blue-gray she-cat with white paws (Blue)-Sharppaw

Stoneclaw- Aggressive burly gray tom (Amber)

Spottednose- Sweet white she-cat with black and orange dapples along spine (Green)

Bluemist- Blue-gray she-cat with white hindquarters (Hazel)-Flamepaw

Foxtrip- Clumsy ginger tom with black paws, ears, and brown flecking (Green)

Ashbreeze- Good-humored gray tom with white ears and paws (One Blue, One Green)-Rainpaw

Clearsong- Grayish-brown long-furred she-cat, formerly known as Ragged (Green)

Roseshade- Dark ginger she-cat, formerly known as Rose (Dark Brown)

Honeysong- Sweet golden colored she-cat, formerly known as Honey (Amber)

Sapwing- Dark brown and gold she-cat (Blue)

Feathermist- Fluffy light gray she-cat (Blue)

Sunstreak- Light ginger tom (Green)

Dapplenight- Black and ginger spotted she-cat (Hazel)

Nightcreek- Joyful jet black she-cat (Hazel)

Mintcloud- Mischievous blue-gray she-cat (Green)

Apprentices- Lilacpaw- Quiet blue-gray she-kit (Light Blue)

Thornpaw- Deaf brown and black she-kit (Blue)

Rainpaw- Blue-gray she-kit with white paws (Green)

Flamepaw- Grayish-brown clumsy she-kit (Amber)

Rockpaw- Blue-gray tom (Green)

Sharppaw- Dark grayish-brown tom (Amber)

Queens- Iceblaze- Blue-gray she-cat, formerly known as Glass (Green)

Sorrelcreek- Salt and pepper she-cat, formerly known as Speckle (Amber)

Swanfeather- Sleek white she-cat with a black spot above nose (Green)

Mate: Oakstorm

Kits- Branchkit- Dark brown and white spotted tom (Green) –Iceblaze

Birchkit- Cream-colored she-kit with black speckles (Green) –Iceblaze

Stormkit- Blue-gray she-kit (Blue) –Iceblaze

Hailkit- Salt and pepper tom (Green) –Sorrelcreek

Dovekit- Playful light gray she-kit (Green) – Swanfeather

Rowankit- Reddish-brown tom (Green) – Swanfeather

Elders- Ivoryshade- White she-cat with black spots (Cloudy Gray)

Dustfeather- Grumpy brown striped tom (Green)

Hawkfeather- Blind dappled brown and white she-cat (Blue)

Leafshade- Gray and black tortoiseshell she-cat (Amber)

Hollyfire- Moody blackish-gray she-cat (Amber)

Chapter 5.5

Lion stretched her sore muscles, basking in the sunlight that shone down on her, despite the weather being cold. The sun was setting soon. Two seasons had passed, and the WindClan she-cats learned what she meant quickly. She couldn't help but hold back a snicker at the thought. The snobby she-cat, or Willowtuft, had been given Cinder as a mate, one of the most vicious toms in the Ruins. She stared at her paws, flexing her claws. She felt a prickle of satisfaction.

Since she was allowed to leave whenever now, she was able to train more often. She had already completed the standards, and a majority of the more advanced moves. She yawned, causing a small puff of frosted breath to drift into the air. She growled to herself, it was early winter, or leaf-bare, as the Clans called it. Howl had also recently let her return to the she-cats den for a 'small' amount of time to 'teach' the newcomers more things about the Ruins. Not like there was much to teach. She yawned again, waiting for anything to happen. She was the only one allowed to be out of the den, she found it kind of funny and stupid.

She twitched her ears back when she heard Willowtuft's growl from inside the den, she was threatening someone, "Look here, little cat. I'm hungry. You give me your share of today's meal and no-one gets hurt." She looked inside quickly, seeing the other she-cats backing away in fear. She growled under her breath, slipping back inside. Her blood boiled when she saw Willowtuft, holding down Red, snarling in her face.

She stalked up slowly, growling behind the she-cat's ear, "Hey bud. You might want to lay off." Willowtuft jumped, and she quickly wrapped a paw around her neck, throwing her down, off of Red. Willowtuft snarled, getting to her paws. The two she-cats circled each other, bristling and growling. She stopped, and let out a small laugh, "You want to fight? We gotta do it outside." She flicked her tail, holding back her rage and slipping out of the den. To her surprise, Willowtuft followed her, looking arrogant. She let out a yowl, to alert Howl and the other toms. Lucky for her, Howl was dozing at the ledge above his den, and woke immediately.

He snarled, "What?"

She felt a flicker of satisfaction, "We're gonna fight. Anyone can watch, I guess."

Howl looked interested, eyes switching from her to Willowtuft. He gave a small chuckle, "Very well, what shall the fight be for?"

She shrugged, "Don't care."

Howl stared at Willowtuft, "Very well. I'll choose. This will be a fight for the leader's mate position." She bristled, feeling mixed emotions. She would lose all her privileges, and would have to go during hunts and sneaking out. But she could be free from Howl. She closed her eyes. She would fight. For the she-cats, for their freedom. She opened her eyes, right when Howl called for the toms to come out and make the standard fight circle. The she-cats sat outside, Red at the front. She looked Red in the eye, mouthing the words _For you all._ She turned to face Willowtuft, bristling. Howl counted down, "Three, two, one, go!" Willowtuft shot forward, and she side-stepped. The WindClan she-cat was throwing all her strength into each attack, tiring herself out quickly.

Lion simply dodged with minimum movement until she saw Willowtuft starting to pant. She growled, "No more messing around, okay, wind cat?" She sprang this time, only a short distance, but close enough to taunt the other she-cat, who swiped at her. Lion quickly grabbed her paw in her mouth, twisting it. Willowtuft yowled in pain, ripping it from her jaws. The toms yowled and jeered, eyeing them greedily despite the current situation. Now favoring that paw, the she-cat launched at her, toppling over. Lion grabbed onto her shoulders, jaws clamping onto Willowtuft's muzzle to stop her from biting. Their claws tore at each other, blood spilling onto the ground.

She released the she-cat, springing back a little way. Willowtuft was far worse than her, but still struggling to stand. She sat, licking the blood of a paw, "I'm sure this fight is over."

Howl interrupted her with a dark laugh, "Fights like these are to the death, she-cat."

She looked up at him, growling, "Death?" She felt resentment to the she-cat for attacking Red, but she didn't deserve to die.

Willowtuft thought differently, hissing, "Just do it."

She felt her heart start to beat faster, and she growled, "No."

She flattened her ears when she heard Howl goading her, "But it was so much easier to kill the others, wasn't it?"

She flinched back, bristling. She growled, albeit quieter, "They were threatening something I loved!"

Howl jeered, "So we have to threaten something?" She bristled when he let out a commanding yowl. She turned her head back to the she-cats den when she heard a yowl of terror. Her eyes widened when she saw one of Howl's toms holding Red down, his claws at her throat. She froze, blood running cold. Red looked at her with giant eyes, filled with terror.

She rasped, starting to shake, "No. Y-You can't do that!" Her ears were flat against her head, her breath coming out raggedly.

Howl sneered, a look of sadistic joy on his face, "Then kill the other." She approached Willowtuft, who simply glared at her. She raised her paw, claws unsheathed and glinting in the fading sunlight.

She screwed her eyes shut, whispers a single, "I'm sorry" before crashing her paw down, claws digging into the she-cat's throat. She flinched at the piercing scream that escaped from the she-cat's jaws before she bled out, growing still. She turned her gaze to Howl, spitting out the words, "Satisfied?"

She felt her heart sink when she heard his response, "No."

A single screech echoed around the silent clearing, and she turned around slowly, feeling dread grow in her stomach. She shook hard, seeing Red fall to the ground, the tom's paw bloodied. She felt sick, grief and rage mingling. She stumbled forward, saying nothing, but curled herself around Red, whose breath was getting slower and slower. Red's was gasping for air, shaking. She turned her small face towards Lion, whispering, her voice whistling, "Hurts… Make it stop. Please." Lion clenched her jaw, face growing hot, and tears threatening to spill.

The ginger she-cat stared at her with giant green eyes that shone like the sun, filled with emotion. Lion pressed her muzzle to Red's forehead, murmuring, "You're beautiful." She felt Red shift slightly, her breath getting quieter.

Red spoke, voice so faint she had to lean closer, "Ha…haa. Thank you. I lo-" her voice cut off, her green eyes losing their shine. Lion screwed her eyes shut, her face dampening, grief making her numb.

She whispered meekly, "What was that? I couldn't quite catch it." There was no response, and she gently shook her, whispering, "Hey, hey. Wake up!"

She felt a gentle tap on her shoulder, looking up to see Nettle, who's own green eyes were watering, but she murmured softly, "She's dead, Lion."

She hissed, "No! She's fine, she'll wake up. She's, she's… she's just.." She couldn't bring herself to say anymore, shaking hard. A wail was building up in her throat, like a giant ball that was stuck in her throat. Her jaws parted, and she let out a low groan, staring at the ground. It suddenly hit her that she would never see Red again. She wouldn't ever curl up and sleep with the she-cat, she wouldn't share a meal, she wouldn't have a conversation. That's all it took to cause the wail to rip from her throat.

She turned her muzzle to the fading sunlight, which painted the sky red. She let out a single mournful shriek, tears streaming down her face.

Wind ruffled the grass of the moors, just a few fox lengths in front of a shadowy figure, unable to be seen due to the lack of light and the shade of the forest. He stood there, moving forward to sit at the stream. Muscles rippled under his pelt, which was golden, spotted with brown and white markings. Another figure followed him, a she-cat, black with white speckles and icy blue eyes. She sat down right next to him, tail curling over her paws neatly. The tom spoke, voice deep and gravelly, "What brings you here, Stream _star_?"

Streamstar snorted, voice bitter, "No need to be so formal, Leopordclaw."

He changed the subject quickly, "Have you seen anything from your beloved 'StarClan?'"

She glared at the tom, turning her gaze to stare at the water, "Do you ever think about our kits? What a great family we could have been?"

Leopordclaw growled, "You mean the ones that all died? The two toms that passed before they were even brought into this world? Our little she-kit who was stolen in battle before she could even speak? I'd rather not."

Streamstar glared at him pointedly, before continuing, "The little kit that was brought to our camp, five seasons ago. She reminds me so much of our little daughter." The she-cat's voice cracked, but she forced herself to continue, "She has such a similar pelt, even her eyes. I could mistake her for our daughter." She stood, shaking her pelt, "I'm rambling, aren't I. Well, I must go. I have a clan to run."

She looked at the sky, which was red in the fading sunlight. The wind suddenly picked up, and words were whispered into her ear;

 _When blood paints the sky red, the spirit of the lion's roar will break the ground and set those beneath free._

Her blood ran cold when a shriek echoed around, filled with grief and anger. She bristled, turning away from WindClan territory, padding deep into the forest, her last trace being a flick of her plumy tail as her figure was swallowed by the shadows.

 **AN: Are u mad aat me**

 **Im sorr y**

 **Ahah**

 **This hurt me inside and it took about an hour to get the heart to even START the scene of Red's death jfc haha.**

 **(wilowtuft is an asshat)**

 **Uhm**

 **Review for a Leopordclaw plushie 100% TRUE NO T A SCAM**


	7. Tension

**PRE A/N: theres some suggestive shit in here. Nothing detailed tho.**

Chapter 6

 _Lion blinked, raising her head. She looked around, feeling groggy. She felt someone shift by her flank, and she looked down in surprise to see the small frame of Red looking at her, green eyes soft. She felt relief was over her. Red wasn't dead, she couldn't be. It was just a dream; she was still here, with her. Red stood, staring at her, jaws parted at if she was going to say something,_

"W̢̭̕͢h͇͎̙̺ͅͅy̷̰͖̠̮͍̙̠ ̶͎̤̠̗͇̗̪ḏ͔̜̝̞͖͓́͢͠i̸̲̫̖͜d̠̺̘̞̝̻͘̕͢n̟̗'̣͙̮̘̬͉̬ͅt̮͍͚͎̟͖̹͚͝ ̡̯̳͕͖͕͞y̷̮̲͝o҉̬͈͓̱̫͖̰ͅṷ̸̴̙̫̪̥͍͙͎ ̥͙͔̪̫̙͘͘͟s̵̩̲̹a̝̼͖̬̱̯͓v̨̻̘̲͔̱̟̹e ͡͏̫̳̰͓̬ͅm̵̧̟̹̼ȩ̡̝̮?̴̴̬̪̭"

 _Lion flinched, stuttering, "No. NO! I couldn't. I couldn't do anything!" She tried to put a paw on Red's shoulder, only to find it sinking into the form of the she-cat. She was melting. Hate filled her eyes, her once beautiful sleek pelt starting to drip onto the ground, sticking to her own body. She tried to pull away from the other she-cat, but she was pulled back._

 _She felt sick, her own pelt starting to feel heavy. She froze in horror when she noticed her own pelt starting to melt into the sticky melting mess of Red, whose face was twisted into a snarl. She felt her tail being twined with Red's, forcibly. Her vision was starting to become blocked, she felt heavy, and started to sink._

 _Red's voice cracked,_ "Ẇ̘͈͇ͣ̇͠e̵͖̤̓̇̇͠'̨̝̖̇̇͘͜ļ̟̠̇̇̊͜l̨̮ͪ̇̈́̇̓ b̸ͧ̇̓̂̇ͭė̜͉ͥ᷾̐̇ t̎̇ͩ̊̍̇̆ó̰͓̱̇᷆̇g͖̿̇̅̐̇͡e͈͎᷄̇̇͋ͅṫ᷿͖̭̙̇͡ḧ͇̇ͧͨ̇͢ė̢̛͎̾̎̇ṙ̞͈ͩ͂̇ͦ ḟ̛̫᷄᷉ͫ̇ọ̖᷿̇̇͌͢ṙ͍͓̫̌̇͂ḛ̳̇͋̿̇̇v͇̙̲͔̇ͯ̋᷅̇e̫̰̺ͫ̇ͧ̇r͎̦̎̇͊̌̇" _She struggled, heart thumping in fear._

 _Black spots surrounded her vision and the last thing she heard before blacking out was the word,_

"P̵à̧͜t̶h̵͢e͟ţi̶c̶̨"

Lion's eyes flew open, and she shivered. She was pressed hard against the stone wall of Howl's den, while he slept peacefully in his nest. It had been a quarter-moon since Red's death, and she was prone to nightmares and panic attacks. She got to her paws, stumbling. She began pacing, fur bristling. She heard something snap, and she jumped, whipping around. There was nothing. She continued pacing, her head aching terribly, her pelt still felt heavy and sticky, even though the dream was over.

She finally stopped pacing, her paw pads worn and aching. She settled down, feeling jumpy still. She felt drowsy, but forced herself to stay awake, she didn't want another nightmare. She stood again, glancing back at Howl. He hadn't said anything to her ever since she had attacked the other tom, who has turned out to be Renegade, the second in command. He hadn't died, but simply passed out from blood loss. He was back on his paws in a few days, giving out orders and doing his other things.

She jumped when Howl growled, "Another one?"

She whipped around, bristling. Howl was staring at her, his blue eyes hard. The fur along her spine bristled, and she turned back around, staring down at her paws. She flinched when Howl stood, sitting next to her. His pelt brushed against hers, and he stared out of the den, lip curled slightly. She flinched again when she felt him forcibly curl his tail around hers. She felt the familiar sinking feeling she had felt in her dream, and stumbled back slightly. Her ears were flat against her head. She stared in horror at Howl's form changed, his blue eyes changing to green, filled with hate. His figure was a shade of rusty brown, dripping onto the ground and it moved toward her.

Fear made her cold, her heart pounding in her chest. Her pupils were narrowed, shaking as she backed up. She felt sick, and she reeled over, retching.

_HOWLS POV_

He purred in satisfaction when he noticed the she-cat was staring back at him in _fear_. He had finally broken the stubborn she-cat into submission. He stood, stepping out of his nest. He approached the she-cat, brushing his pelt against hers. To his surprise, she actually _flinched._ She did again when he forcibly twined his tail around hers. She looked up at him, a look of sheer terror plastered on her face as she pushed herself away from him, stumbling back.

She was panting, the fur along her spine bristling. He grinned in satisfaction as her, who was flat against the ground, amber eyes pale and narrowed into small pin-pricks. He lumbered towards her, his breath rustling her whiskers. She stumbled back more, chest heaving. A strange, strangled noise came from her throat, and she shook.

Terror was still lit in her eyes, and she slowly started to calm down, but still was jittery. He growled, feeling a small twinge of annoyance. He approached her, clubbing the side of her head with a paw. She simply winced, cringing away from him. He purred in satisfaction, and a small thought sparked in his mind. He let out a small chuckle, causing his mate to flinch again. He slowly began grooming around her ears, going lower and lower. To his slight surprise, she hissed and attempted to crawl away when he reached the base of her tail.

He snarled, grabbing her scruff. She gave a small noise of protest, starting to struggle. He growled through her scruff, "I now get to take what you wouldn't give to me."

_LIONS POV_

She snapped back into reality when she felt Howl grab her scruff, and she started to struggle. Her heart was pounding in fear, and he snarled at her, "I now get to take what you wouldn't give to me." She froze in fear, but soon started to thrash again, though she was getting tired.

She snarled, trying a last time to escape. She snarled, "Let me go!" All she heard was a growl, and then something hit her against the head hard. She let out a small wince, her vision blackening.

Lion shivered; ears flat against her head. It had been half a moon since Howl had done _that_ to her, and he had done it multiple other times. She growled under her breath, starting to pace around the den again, tail twitching. She ignored Howl's blue gaze, which she could tell was watching her pace around. She muttered to herself, tail twitching. She flinched when she heard him growl, "Come here." She turned to look at him, bristling. He had tapped his nest with his tail. She turned away, ignoring him. She continued to pace. He was up in an instant, throwing her hard against the stone wall. She let out a small cry of pain. He growled, "Don't disobey me, she-cat." She wheezed, trying to catch her breath, ignoring the dull ache that had spread around her side. She forced herself to her paws, trailing slowly after Howl. To her surprise, she felt nothing at all. She shuffled to the very edge of the nest, looking away from Howl.

A loud snarl sounded behind her, echoing in her ears.

Her head shot up immediately, and she looked around the room, shivering. Howl noticed, becoming alert, looking around with narrowed eyes. He let out a small growl, settling back down. She felt his claws clip her ear, "There's nothing here, stop being so afraid." She looked down, curling her tail over her paws. She bristled, hearing quiet murmuring and whispering echoing through her ears. They all whispered jeers into her ears

" _ **Murderer"**_

" _ **Killer"**_

" _ **Psychopath"**_

She covered her ears with her paws, claws tearing wounds, which bled fresh blood. That seemed to make them louder. She gave out a shaky breath, murmuring to herself,

"They're not real, they're not real."

A bitter voice growled before everything quieted,

" _ **Y͡ou̡'r̸e a͏ m̢u̴rd͝er̶e͡r͞.͝ ͠Not͢h̀i͘ng b҉ut̵ a ̨t͠o̷o͢l."**_

She flinched away, clicking her teeth together. She stood suddenly, tripping over her words, "I- I'm going for a walk."

Howl growled, "No. It's almost dawn. Badger's kits are eight moons old today." She bristled at the way he said it, like a threat, or a jeer

She looked away from him, moving to sit at the edge of the den. She waited patiently, watching the sun slowly rise, casting down rays of light. Howl stood, passing by her, outside. She flattened her ears as he yowled; summoning forward his toms and the she-cats. She left the den, keeping her head low. She could tell the toms were staring at her, a few reaching out to stroke a paw or tail along her spine. When the others noticed she wasn't reacting, they moved forward, crowding around her. They purred and flirted. Each time she felt a flicker of something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Annoyance.

The last straw was when Cinder blocked her path, forcing her head up with his tail, and purred, "You know, I do like a strong she-cat. That Willowtuft was too fragile for me." She snarled, tackling him, claws slashing across his face. She growled, slipping through the crowd to where the she-cats sat. She looked down at her paws when she saw Badger staring at her, a hopeful look on her face.

She bristled when she heard Howl's booming voice, "Badger's kits have reached the age of eight moons, and so, she shall be killed." He growled, "Trainees Phinn and Kain, come forward." She twitched her ears when she saw her brothers step forward, both looking excited. She curled her lip.

 __ _Disgusting_

She narrowed her eyes, watching closely. Phinn was holding Badger down, who looked completely terrified. Kain had his claws raised, ready to strike. She screwed her eyes shut, ears flat when she heard Badger's scream of pain. The two toms stepped back, both bloodied. Howl looked satisfied, and purred, "Excellent, You two are promoted to Fighters. Congratulations." She slowly opened her eyes, which fell onto Badger, who was still twitching slightly, her eyes dimming out. Blood pooled out beneath her, slowly edging its way towards the crowd. She felt angry at herself, and disappointed. She could have done something. She scraped her claws on the ground, creating white marks and a horrible screeching noise.

She stood, making her way toward Badger, ignoring the blood that seeped into the fur on her paws. She bent down, touching her nose to Badger's. She murmured quietly, "I cannot save you all, but I can try. You will not be forgotten." She growled when she felt something shove her, looking up to see Phinn glaring at her.

He snarled, "Learn your place, she-cat."

She curled her lip, claws unsheathing, "What did you say to me?"

She ignored the claws by her face, glaring at him. He drawled out, "I said, learn. Your. Place." She stood still when they pierced her cheek, blood spilling and dripping onto the ground below.

She gave a small laugh, "Is that all you have?" She growled, "Do you even know who I am?"

Phinn sneered, "A misbehaving little she-cat. I don't have time to learn your name."

She purred, "Maybe this will help reminding you." Fast as a snake, she hooked her claws into his shoulders, throwing him down onto the ground. She placed her paw at his throat, "Remember now, _brother_?"

 _ **Murderer**_

She faltered, stumbling back. Her ears flattened, the fur along her spine bristling. She let out a sharp breath when something pushed her down, a heavy paw on her back. She flinched when she felt the wet ground stain the fur on her belly, making it feel heavy and cold. She already knew Howl had pinned her, mainly from the weight and the fact she could see his other large grey paw next to her head. He growled in her ear, "Don't misbehave."

She growled under her breath, "Shut up."

She felt claws clip her ears and Howl growled, "What was that?"

She hissed, "Nothing!" She felt the weight on her back vanish, and she pulled herself up, wincing. She rolled her shoulders, nose wrinkled. The others had left, seeing that the ceremony had ended. Howl flicked his tail at her, starting towards the camp exit. She hissed quietly, following him. She felt her stomach sink when he turned into the direction of the small clearing. She kept her head low, curling her tail in when the grassy clearing came into view, the sour smell making her wrinkle her nose.

Right when she entered Howl wheeled around, smacking her down with a massive paw. It would be a beating. She held back a hiss, feeling Howl strike her repeatedly with an unsheathed paw. He roared, "How _dare_ you embarrass me in front of all my toms?!" She couldn't help but let out a sharp shriek when his claws pierced the skin above her eye, tearing down. She shut it, bristling. She dug her claws into the ground when his jaws clamped around one of her ears, tugging and pulling at it. It ended up just being mangled, twisted and deformed.

He was just spitting curses at her now, taking out all his anger on her. Her breathing hitched when he placed his paw on her throat, pressing down hard. She clicked her teeth together, wheezing. Her lungs started to ache, and she began struggling, clawing at Howl's leg in an attempt to get him to move. It didn't help. He pressed down harder. She couldn't breathe at all at that point, and she was going light-headed, attempts to get loose weakening. She grew still, the edges of her vision starting to get dark.

Howl released her, and she took a deep breath, shaking. But, he wasn't done. She felt his jaws wrap around her neck, lifting her. She gave a small cry of pain when she hit the brick wall, hard. She winced. Howl growled, "Don't come back until tomorrow, you don't deserve to sleep in a nest or have a meal." She stared at him through a half-open eye, still clicking her teeth together.

She growled her breath raspy, "Go and die." He didn't say anything, but turned and left, flicking his tail. She shut her eyes, catching her breath for a few moments.

She forced herself to her paws, barely holding back a cry of pain. She had to get some treatment quickly, the risk of bleeding out high. She moved, albeit painfully. She stumbled, growling in pain when she fell on her chin. She was still ways away from the fence to the clan territory, and she would have to cross a most likely frozen stream. She stared up at the sky, which was covered in clouds. She stopped, panting for a moment, before starting again. She hesitated when she came to the entrance to the Ruins camp, but passed it in a few moments.

She hissed when she stumbled again, quickly trying to get her balance back. She looked behind, seeing the trail of blood she had left. She muttered under her breath, continuing to limp towards the fence. She soon reached it, not wanting to jump over it just in case she hurt herself further. She looked along the bottom of the fence, and to her relief, spotted a hole at the very bottom of the fence. She wedged her way through it, gritting her teeth when she felt the wooden fence scrape along her back, causing slight discomfort. She felt the wind of the moors blast in her face, not helping her injured eye. She pushed her way forward, desperately just wanting to collapse right there and sleep. She slowly forced herself to move, crossing the stream, which was frozen over.

She was incredibly tired, stumbling over the border and taking a few steps before collapsing. The grass was cold and welcoming, relaxing her sore body. The blood that had spilled from her wounds had dried out, clinging to her fur in clumps. Her ears twitched when she heard the bushed in front of her rustle, and a pungent smell wafted into her nose.

A pointed muzzle poked from the bush, yellow teeth glinting. The figure pushed its way through the bush, revealing a skinny, but hungry fox, looking for easy prey. And there she was, it's easy prey.

 **A/N: WHEEZES HELP ME STILL GOT THE DAMN WRITERS BLOCK Sorry if updates are a bit random, I don't stockpile chapters, ever. I just post them when they're finished. HHAhaha**

 **Btw in the next chapter some interesting stuff is gonna happen ;;)**

 **No**

 **Lion wil not b preggo trust that comes later ;;;)**

 **uHM REVIEW FR A aAAA a A aA AA A A**

 **A Hollowtrunk plushie**

 **100% real not a scam it will be on your head in 2 seconds trust**


	8. HIATUS NOTICE

**Heya guys. Something came up and LOTR will be put on a hiatus. I'm working on the chapters slowly, but surely. I've had severe writers block and family business to attend to. Sorry. I'm not sure when I'll be back, but maybe a week or two at the least. Sorry again, my dudes**

 **-Zuffias**


	9. UPDATE 2

**Ok so update. LOTR doesn't have much motivation from me, BUT I will try to eventually start up again. Sorry for the long absence but I really don't feel like writing and the story I'm most pumped for it my Overshadowed rewrite.**

 **Onto a review I received;**

 **"I LIKED THIS STORY, BUT IT WAS MESSED UP AFTER LION BECAME HOMOSEXUAL! IT'S REALLY UNSETTLING can you change it to them breaking up?"**

 **Well friend pal I do think you are very IGNORANT about the warning above chapter 4**

 **"IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH SAME SEX COUPLES, LEAVE"**

 **You could not pay attention to that warning, so you had to bring yourself to the reviews, type that up in MY story, also as a guest. HEADS UP; BECAUSE OF THIS I'VE BANNED ANON/GUEST REVIEWS FOR A SHORT WHILE SO WHEN YOU RESPOND IT WILL HAVE TO BE WITH AN ACCOUNT. Plus, how is Lion's and Red's relationship 'disturbing'? Homosexuality is found in MANY animals, including cats. Which they are. Plus, if you read the next few chapters, you would know that Red dies, so I guess you got what you wanted?**

 **HERES A WARNING RIGHT HERE;**

 **If you have ANY problem with the LGBTQ+ community, get your immature ass off my stories and out of my account.**

 **Please don't tell me how to write or insist I change things. I take constructive criticism, but not telling me 'OH CHANGE THIS I DON'T LIKE IT" in caps as a GUEST, because you're too scared to put it on your actual account.**

 **Sorry for the rant, plus the next chapter is on it's way soon, hopefully. Working on it right now**

 **Sorry for the rant,**

 **-Puq**


	10. Freedom

Chapter 7

Lion stiffened, terror washing over her. She forced herself to her paws, ignoring the pain it caused. She turned sharply, trying to run away. Unfortunately, the fox noticed her trying to escape, and snapped its jaws around her hind leg, biting down on it hard. She let out a scream of pain, feeling the bone shatter. She swiped at the air, trying to grab a hold of something to get here away from the wretched beast. Blood spilled from the wound on her leg, staining the fox's muzzle. She snarled, her claws snagging on the fox's pelt. She tore out clumps of fur. It simply angered the fox, which swung her in its jaws like a piece of prey. She felt the flesh on her leg tear, causing her to let out another cry of pain. It dropped her when a loud yowl sounded, a patrol charging through the bushes. She gave a sigh of relief when she noticed they were ThunderClan cats.

They attacked the fox, which snapped at them in return. Someone came to her aid quickly, and she recognized the blue-gray face of Mintcloud, who helped her get to her paws while the rest of the patrol drove off the fox. The rest of the patrol consisted of Spottednose, Bluemist, Ashbreeze, and Roseshade. Roseshade was at her side the instant the fox was running away, helping support her with Mintcloud. She almost tripped a few times, still incredibly light-headed, her leg not helping at all. No-one questioned her at all, though she did get a few glances from Spottednose, whose eyes were glinting with curiosity. The trip back to the camp was awkward and tense. She looked down almost the whole time, looking up slightly only in order to not fall off the cliff at the very start of the camp.

A loud commotion started up almost instantly, the clan questioning the patrol. Mintcloud and Roseshade simply pushed their way through the crowd, leading her straight to the medicine cat's den. Thanks to all the commotion, Hollowtrunk knew something was up, and already had herbs clamped in his jaws. She was half-asleep by the time she got into a nest, mainly from the loss of blood. Hollowtrunk stared at her hind leg, whispering, "Oh my StarClan." She raised her head, looking back in curiosity. She hadn't seen it yet. Her eyes widened when she did. It was mangled beyond recognition, barely staying connected to the rest of her by a few strands of flesh and skin. The bone was completely broken through, and visible. She grew dizzy, turning back, feeling sick.

She muttered, "I'm gonna be sick."

Hollowtrunk moved back to peer at it, using one paw to probe at it. She hissed in pain, "Don't touch."

He simply nodded, moving to sit in front of her, "It'll take a while to heal. At most I'd say three moons." She simply nodded, feeling light-headed. She kept still and silent while he started working, but clenched her teeth and dug her claws into the ground when he re-adjusted it. She closed her eyes while he built the splint, securing it tightly.

She looked up when he rolled two poppy seeds toward her, giving a small nod then turning away. She lapped them up, closing her eyes and sinking into the soft moss nest. As she slipped from consciousness, she could feel Hollowtrunk treating the other wounds that scattered her body.

Lion sighed, lying her head on her paws. Her hind leg stung painfully, wrapped in its tight cast. She had been stuck in the ThunderClan camp for about a moon now, Hollowtrunk refusing to let her leave after her strength recovered. And she, for one, didn't mind staying inside. Food was more plentiful for her, even though the cold season was closing in, and she was also cared for. Though, her heart still ached with grief and she had frequent nightmares of Red.

She was getting better, however, not hearing any accusing voices in her dreams or at all when she was awake, so there was that. She let out a long sigh, staring out at the camp desperately. She had been trapped inside the hot den for a long time, and it was starting to drive her insane. Lion looked back at her hind leg, where the bindings were slowly coming loose. Her ears flitted up when she heard shuffling.

Hollowtrunk had entered the den, herbs in his jaws and cobwebs wrapped around a foreleg. She dipped her head slightly, shifting around since she knew he would change the wrappings. Her ears twitched when she heard the sound of something heavy drop in front of her. Hollowtrunk was sitting, and spoke in his smooth, low voice, "I'm going to be testing how much it's healed. Bite on that," He flicked his tail at the object, which was a thick stick, "when the pain comes, okay?"

She nodded, taking the stick in her mouth. She stilled, allowing the medicine cat to remove the bindings and poultice. He commented, "The wound itself is almost healed, but the break is what I'm more worried about." She stayed silent, gripping the stick tighter when she felt his paws shifting it around. She gave a hiss through the stick when he shifted it slightly, though it only ached. She bit down hard when he bent the leg forward a bit, but despite the pain, no bones seemed to be shifting around at all.

Hollowtrunk noticed her biting down on it, and took a few pawsteps back and announced to her, "All you need now if a binding. The break is healing quickly, so all it needs now is to stay in proper place and should be done healing in the next moon." She gave a deep sigh of relief. She stilled again when he came back with more bindweed and sticks, which make a good supportive cast, as she had learned during her time stuck inside the den. He bound her leg tightly, and she made sure to keep it in the same angle to not disturb it at all. She released the stick, letting it fall from her jaws and clatter loudly on the floor. She flattened her ears against the sound, glaring at the tiny object.

She flicked it away with a paw, drawing her attention to the little amount of outside she could see from her nest. She blinked in surprise when someone entered the den, holding something in their jaws. She gave a small sigh of relief when she saw it was Mintcloud, who dropped prey at her paws. Lion tapped her tail on the ground, inviting her friend to sit and eat with her. Mintcloud set down, giving her a friendly grin, "So, how have you been?"

Lion snorted, "Same as usually, trapped in here."

Mintcloud pushed her with a paw, "Don't be so salty about it, you'll be out soon enough."

Lion yawned, "I hope so, any longer and I'll go nuts." She then dug into her meal, which was a mouse. She finished it in a few famished bites, sighing in content. She fell into silence while Mintcloud finished her meal, licking her jowls. She began cleaning her paws, ears twitching every so often. She looked up, a small idea sparking in her head. She looked up to Hollowtrunk, clearing her voice and adding a small hint of desperation, "Hey, Hollowtrunk. Can Mintcloud take me out of the den for a while?"

The tabby turned around, whiskers twitching, "As long as you don't put any weight on your leg, that's fine with me." He turned back around, and Lion turned to Mintcloud, giving her a small grin. Mintcloud returned it, helping Lion get to her paws. She stumbled a bit, snorting at her own clumsiness. Slowly, Mintcloud helped her limp outside of the stuffy medicine cat's den, and boy, it sure was great.

Lion sighed in satisfaction when she felt the cool air blowing across her pelt, and the fresh scent of the forest. The sharp, cold, fresh scent of snow and the feeling of it crunching underpaw was great to her, and she shut her eyes for a small moment, savoring it. When she opened them, she realized that Mintcloud had wandered from her side, beckoning at her with her tail. Lion stuck her tongue out at the mischievous she-cat, and hurried over to her side, careful to not let her injured leg touch the ground. Mintcloud muttered to her, "Hey, let's go out into the forest."

Lion gave her a toothy grin,

"He never said we couldn't!"

 **AN: OP HEY SORRY FOR THE 2 MONTH HIATUS DIDN'T EXPECT IT ehehe. I'm warming back up to the bigger chapters with shorter fill in ones like this so it doesn't end up as a really short story like Overshadowed (which im currently rewriting but it'll be my slowest story.) I've taken on another story (continuing from Illuminastro's account) called Fur than should start up after I finish this (which will be ending in 10-20 chapters I guess I don't plan too much tbh) So yeah ^^ Honestly after this ends I'll probably edit or rewrite past chapters and add a few to make more points and possibly bond Lion and Red closer instead of thrusting their relationship into the story suddenly eh.**

 **Ill make this clear; Lion WILL be going back to the Ruins and lots of drama will unfold ;;) so stay tuned childrens**

 **I'm gonna rewrit soon so that's why it was taken down.**

 **On to reviews;**

 **Everyone who reviewed abt the person who disrespected the way Lion is, thanks for the support ^^**

 **OceanBlueSeaEyes; op man that review is plunging deep into spoiler territory uhhh**


	11. Too Familiar

Chapter 8

"Alright, you're free to go."

Those words struck Lion with relief, and she got to her paws, stretching satisfyingly. Hollowtrunk had finally allowed her to leave a quarter-moon after she fully healed, to let her leg strengthen so she didn't break it again the first day she was out of the den. He snorted at her excitement, "Don't use it too much today, I'm okay with light training, but no strenuous activities, alright?"

She called over her shoulder, "Alright, Hollowtrunk!" She stopped and flashed him a grin, "And no torturing Thornpaw, okay?"

He snapped back at her, "She's been my apprentice for four moons already, mousebrain!" She gave a hearty laugh, turning and leaving him to do whatever he was doing. She crashed right into another cat, who, luckily for her, turned out to be Sapwing.

The brown-pelted she-cat chirped, "Finally out of the den?"

Lion nodded, "I'm grateful to be out, it was so hot in there."

Sapwing gave her a grin, "We'll you're sure to be out of shape. Come train with me and Stoneclaw."

Lion gave a fake groan, "You're making be go with _Stoneclaw?_?" Sapwing snorted at her, and turned to call the big gray warrior over to them. She ignored the pointed glare he gave her, and let Sapwing explain to him.

She spoke quickly, "Lion just got out of the medicine cat's den, so we're going to help her get back into shape, alright?"

He nodded, though looking at her pointedly, and with a small bit of resentment. Lion shook her head, following them up the ledges on the stone walls, through the bramble tunnel, and out into the forest. She sighed, enjoying the cool air and snow. The trees were mostly leaf-less, with a few stragglers slowly falling with each passing day. Before she knew it, they were already at the training clearing, which had springy moss and soft grass growing. Sapwing butted her on the shoulder and gave her a big grin, "They say the perfect way to warm up is running laps."

Lion gave an inward groan, but grunted, "How many?"

Sapwing chirped, "I bet you can't do seven without giving in."

She snorted, "Is that a challenge?"

"Yes."

Lion rolled her eyes, "If you insist, dear sister." She broke into a steady pace, using the technique that she had learned from WindClan territory. The training clearing wasn't that big. She had cleared two laps, her shoulders aching slightly. She quickly picked up momentum, leaning forward to propel herself. Soon, though, she knew she needed to slow. She had cleared six laps; she had to keep strong through the last. Her back leg started to throb, obviously not used to this exhaustion. She skidded to a halt in front of Sapwing, panting hard. She puffed out her chest, "Bet you thought I couldn't do it, eh?"

Sapwing rolled her eyes, "Alright, fine. You win this time." She stood, "But we have to train you, so let's spar." Lion gave her a tiny nod, stepping away from them and into the clearing. She frowned slightly when she felt her leg ache a little, but guessed it was just from using it all of the sudden. Sapwing nudged Stoneclaw forward, mewing, "Settle your feelings here, why don't you?" Lion stood facing the big gray tom, who looked at her with his dark amber eyes, which were a few shades darker than her own. She recovered from her run quickly, waiting for Sapwing's signal to start.

The brown she-cat gave a yowl, signaling the start. Stoneclaw lunged forward, claws sheathed. Lion dodged his blow, countering by giving him a swipe to the face. That was how it played out for a while, her dodging and countering while he threw blows at her that almost never hit. There was one time when he swiped her ear, accidentally nicking it. She didn't really care, since it was small, and continued the battle.

She was panting slightly, and started to take more risks in the spar, lunging forward and swatting at his legs to make him lose balance for a little. She was doing just fine when he whipped around, glaring at her with his amber eyes, except they weren't amber, but a cold shade of icy blue. She froze, her heart starting to beat in terror. He took her moment of hesitation and pinned her down, teeth gripping her scruff. She went stiff, her heart beating against her ribcage like a trapped bird. The teeth in her scruff were all too familiar, the gray pelt, the scars. The weight on her back, his hot breath and purrs of pleasure ringing in her ears was too familiar to handle. And the pain, oh _god,_ the _pain_.

Before she knew it, she let out a loud shriek of terror, throwing the gray tom off her back and shooting away from the clearing. Her paws beat hard against the ground; she felt weak, sick even. She stumbled and tripped, landing in tall grass. The shock of it all caused her to curl up into a tight ball, paws over her head in an attempt to hide. She was shaking in fear, tail curled around her hind leg. She flinched when she heard her name echoing through the forest.

"Lion! Lion, where are you!?"

She raised her head slightly when she recognized Sapwing's voice, staring at the she-cat with a look of fear in her eyes. Sapwing came to her side quickly, mewing softly, "Shh, It's okay. What happened?"

Lion's voice trembled, "I- I. he looked like _him_." She couldn't bring herself to say the name of the Ruins' leader. Despite that his name echoed in her head, driving her insane,

 _Howl._

 _Howl._

 _Howl._

 _He did this to you._

 _It's all his fault_

 _H o w l._

Sapwing's voice broke through, and she asked her softly, "Who is 'him?'"

Lion looked at her paws, hesitating before forcing the words out of her throat, "Howl." Once she heard the vile tom's name she couldn't help but start shaking and starting spilling out everything. Her voice was light, and shaky, "He _used_ me, Sap. H- he _raped_ me." She looked up at her sister, her jaw shaking, "He ruined me, Sap. HE took my worth." She clenched her jaw, forcing her words through clenched teeth, "I'm filthy."

Sapwing interrupted her, her own voice shaking, "That _filthy, wretched_ tom." Lion looked up to see her sister fuming in anger, "He's the filthy one, Lion. He's the worst, a scumbag. Worse than a fox." Her eyes shifted to her and she spoke, "You're not dirty, you're not worthless. You are my sister, and I will always, _always_ love you." Lion felt numb with shock as Sapwing rested her head over her own, and whispered to her, "You're _gold_ , Lion." After hearing that, Lion calmed down a little, starting to get to her paws, albeit shakily.

She whispered, "Thank you." Sapwing nodded at her, staying by her side as they walked back to the training clearing, where Stoneclaw waited awkwardly. She drew in a breath, stepping forward with Sapwing and back into the clearing. Stoneclaw awkwardly spoke, "I, uh. Sorry."

She met his eyes, and to her relief, they were amber again. She let out the breath she was holding in and murmured softly, "It's fine."

Sapwing then chirped, "Well then, if all our issues are resolved, let's go hunting!"

Lion nodded; her throat rumbling in a purr.

-linebreak-

Lion yawned, stretching satisfyingly. It had been roughly half a moon since the incident with Stoneclaw, and it was the night of the gathering. She had been told beforehand that she would be attending, and that they would also be getting there through ShadowClan and RiverClan territory, as the rule about staying three fox-lengths from the lake still applied. She was extremely hesitant, unsure if WindClan would be attending the gathering or not. Streamstar had reassured her that WindClan had not been going to gatherings since their return to the lake territories. But even still, she was slightly wary that if they did go, they would certainly recognize her.

Sunset was nearing, and her ears twitched when she heard Streamstar's commanding yowl, "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the highledge for a clan meeting!" Immediately the clan began crowding underneath the ledge, eager to hear who would be attending the gathering,. Streamstar called out, "Those who will be attending the gathering tonight will be; Stillflower, Hollowtrunk, Leopordclaw, Roseshade, Honeysong, Mintcloud, Lion, Lilacpaw, Rainpaw, Flamepaw, Rockpaw, Sharppaw, and any of the elders who wish to attend tonight's gathering." She flicked her tail, dismissing the others. The gathering cats grouped together and exited the camp, and she was awkwardly squished in the crowd, accidentally bumping into Leopordclaw, who just looked at her with a slight glint of curiosity in his eyes.

She gave a small sigh of satisfaction when the group began to fan out, and she wasn't squashed anymore. Though, Leopordclaw was still at her side, looking forward. She jumped when he began speaking, "Hey, living at the Ruins must be tough, huh?"

She answered hesitantly, "Yeah. It's not the greatest."

He spoke quieter, in a hushed tone, "Can you remember anything from when you were younger?"

She bristled, not realizing that during their conversation, they had dropped to the back of the group. She gave a small nod, "Yes, I can."

He rumbled, "Like what?"

That was when she noticed they had dropped back, and that he probably could attack and silence her with no one seeing. She bristled slightly, but decided to talk, "I can remember shapes and colors. I can remember a black and white cat; at least I think that's what it was? But they were fighting someone else, they were grey." She stared at her paws while she walked, "There was lots of noise, like a battle. But someone came and took me away, they had golden fur, that's all I can remember, honestly." She looked up to see him staring at her, his eyes shielded.

He rumbled, "Thanks, that's all I need to know." She looked at him in confusion as he bounded away, catching up with the rest. She followed suit, coming up to walk next to Mintcloud.

-LINEBREAK-

Leopordclaw followed Streamstar out of the camp, since he knew she always took a walk before she slept. He had to tell her what he had learned about the 'rogue' she-cat.

As predicted, the leader stopped at the WindClan border, staring out at the moors. He padded up to her side, and she growled, "What do you want, Leopordclaw?"

He spoke quickly, "It's about Lion."

The leader turned to him, "What about her?"

He held in a growl, looking at the leader with sharp eyes, "You remember the night of the battle, when our daughter was stolen?"

Streamstar's eyes narrowed, "Yes, what does that have to do with Lion?"

"You remember the gray tom who attacked you, right? And how I was going to take her to safety, but someone attacked me, and they took her, correct?"

Streamstar's eyes glinted, grief obviously alight in them, "Why must you remind me of these things?"

He spoke quietly, "Well Lion told me something interesting before the gathering."

Streamstar turned to him, "What did she say?"

She told me about what she remembered as a kit." He turned and locked gazes with his once-mate, "She told me she remembered a black and white cat, and that during a battle, they were attacked by a gray cat. And that after that, someone came in, with a golden pelt, and hushed them and took them away."

Streamstar stuttered, "So what you're trying to say is…"

He interrupted her, "Our daughter isn't dead."

 **AN: Oh hey, didn't see you there. I totally didn't stay up until 2:30 am to write this chapter wtf r u talking about ahah**

 **Uhh yeah**

 **I totally did op**

 **I'm trying to stockpile chapters by writing them at like 1-6 am bc I know no ones really gonna read them when they come out at that time so I don't post them when they're finished oops**

 **BUT OH BOY I HAD THIS CHAPTER PLANNED FOR S O LONG ISTG**


	12. Welcome Back

Chapter 9

Lion sucked in a sharp breath. After a moon of harsh training and gaining her muscle and strength back, she was finally going to return to the Ruins. She smiled sadly at those who had gathered to say goodbye to her. There were many who had gathered to send her off, and she felt sad to leave them all behind. After several exchanged goodbyes between clanmates, she nodded to Streamstar, who approached her. She whispered quietly, "You remember the plan, correct?"

Lion nodded, "Yes, recruit any she-cats or toms who want to end the Ruins group, and most of all." She gave the leader a small wink, "'I'll behave, or try to, at least." Streamstar's whiskers twitched, her eyes glittering with amusement.

Streamstar sighed, "Well then, I'll see you soon, Lion." Lion gave her leader a nod and waved her tail in farewell to the rest of the clan before hurrying to the exit, slipping out of camp and into the forest. She broke into a sprint, whipping past trees and bushes.

Her paws splashed through a small stream, over the cold snow and dead leaves. Wind whistled in her ear as her paws skimmed across the snow silently, her paws barely leaving any tracks in the snow. The hills of the moors came into view, as did the stream, which was frozen over. She launched herself over it, feeling exhilaration and adrenaline as she ran over the moors, almost faster than a WindClan cat.

But, she knew her joy of running as a free cat was over. She skidded to a halt at her stop, the fence a few tree-lengths away from the WindClan border. The fence that lead to the Ruins' territory. She couldn't help but glare sharply at the fence, but she knew she had to go into their territory. She gave a mighty jump, claws catching the edge of the fence as she pulled herself up and onto the hard stone that greeted her paws. She winced, wrinkling her nose at the putrid smell of rat and debris. The broken buildings around her were extremely familiar, and she wandered away from the fence and into the broken town.

She decided to go to the clearing, used for mating. Someone would either be there for find her there. She turned the corner that lead to the clearing, her ears flicking up when she heard hisses of pain. She peered around the broken wall of the garden, her fur standing up when she saw a tom, a golden-brown pelt and darker paws. She recognized him; he was Laburnum, a Scout. It was his job to find she-cats to join the Ruins group. And the other cat was Cloudpaw, a fluffy white, former WindClan she-cat. She was bleeding from several wounds, a look of terror on her face. Lion decided to interrupt, jumping from her hiding spot and purring softly with a slightly accented voice, "Hey now, that's not a very nice thing to do."

He snarled at her, obviously not recognizing her. Hell, she wouldn't recognize herself after being away for so long. She had the scars over one eye, which was blind, a muscular frame; she was decent-sized, not skinny and starving. He growled, "Get out of here, stupid she-cat. Or I _will_ hurt you."

Lion pretended to flinch, backing away from him. She forced her voice to sound fearful, "Hey there, I don't mean any trouble." He growled, glaring at her and stepping forward with his claws unsheathed.

He spat at her, "You'll be coming to camp with me, and if you refuse I'll take out your other eye." She nodded, trying her best to not downright tackle the tom for injuring the young WindClan apprentice. He turned to Cloudpaw, growling, "You come with us, alright?" She nodded frantically, getting to her paws. Lion got to her paws as well, rolling her eyes behind his back. She kept her head low, pretending to look submissive. She backed up to where Cloudpaw was, struggling to keep up. She gave her a small smile, and whispered quietly, "Hey, you can lean on me if you need too."

The apprentice murmured a quiet thanks, leaning onto her side as they followed the Scout back to the Ruins' camp. She growled under her breath when she heard Laburnum yowl, "Hurry up, you mangy she-cats!"

She asked Cloudpaw, "Nasty one, isn't he?"

She whispered quietly, "You wouldn't know." Lion kept walking even when the apprentice's voice turned resentful, "You've never had to know, you were probably some spoiled kittypet who got dropped by your Twolegs." She looked forward, keeping her fur flat; despite the hard glare the apprentice was giving her.

Lion purred quietly, "Now, dear apprentice. You'd be surprised at what I've seen." She looked down, meeting her angry gaze, "Tell me, do you recognize me, at all?"

Cloudpaw hissed, "No, I don't!"

Lion answered quickly that time, "Well it's probably best if you don't."

She didn't receive an answer, and she kept walking, catching up to the Scout tom, who had turned the last corner to the camp. She lowered her head again, following him through the small guarded opening. She forced herself to not wrinkle her nose in disgust, the scents and sight of the camp making her narrow her dark amber eyes. She followed Laburnum to the center of the camp, the corner of her eye catching Cloudpaw fleeing to the she-cat's den, tail curled. She almost jumped when she heard a deep growling, that rang in her ears. A bad memory.

She looked up, ears flat. Right before her, lying on his ledge, was Howl. There was a different she-cat, Cinnamon, by his side, looking terrified. Her dark amber eyes flitted back down, not wanting to make eye contact with the big gray tom. She couldn't help but bristle. Howl sprang down from his post, growling to Laburnum, "Who is this, Scout?"

Laburnum straightened up, answering, "I found her at the clearing, Howl. She interrupted a session."

She stood still when the leader approached her, luckily for her, on her good side. She stiffened when he stalked around her, looking at her pelt and prodding her with a paw. She couldn't help but let out a low growl, tail starting to tap the stone ground. Howl growled, "Tell me, she-cat, what is your name?"

She hardly hesitated, answering with the heavy accent she had picked up while in ThunderClan, "My name is Maple." She twitched her whiskers, her eyes scanning around the group that crowded at the edges of camp. She almost growled in distrust at all the looks she was receiving, lust and want. She gave a hiss of shock when Howl pushed her down, causing her to land hard on her side. She glared pointedly at him, lowering her head back to the ground. She knew what was going to happen.

She clenched her jaw when she felt claws dig into her side, leaving three painful, bloody marks. She forced herself to open her eyes, getting to her paws. It stung painfully, and she clacked her teeth together. She looked up at Howl, uncertain if he was going to assign her a mate of not. He glared down at her, and surprisingly, there was no recognition or suspicion in his gaze. He called out, voice tinted with a snarl, "Cinder, come here."

Lion held in a growl, watching the gray tom pad forward, eyeing her with a small grin on his face. Howl growled, "Show her around the Ruins." She held in a snort of laughter when the small smile on his face fell. Cinder growled, jerking his head forward for her to follow him. She quickly padded past Howl, following the gray scout tom through the crowd. She bristled under the staring, tensing up when she felt a tail stroke along her back. She turned her shoulder, baring her teeth at whoever did at and turned away, following Cinder again.

She stopped when he did, sitting and tapping her tail on the ground slightly. She didn't expect him to whip around and lash his claws across her face. Despite the pain, she didn't flinch or jump back. Cinder snarled, "Quit following me, you fool! I'm not going to show you anything, so just wander around till you find the she-cats den, and stay in there!" She shook her head, scattering blood on the ground. She licked a paw, drawing it over the scratch.

She answered smoothly, "No wonder your leader doesn't give you a mate, seeing how you treat them."

Cinder snarled, claws raised. She stood, walking past him, but stopping to quietly add a few words, "What a shame, the only one you had was killed."

Cinder froze, before hissing, "How do you know that?"

She answered with a slight chirp in her voice, "You'll be surprised at what I've seen." She quickly bounded away, her eyes landing on the small tunnel entrance to the she-cat's den. She would have to tell the truth to them as quickly as she could. She slipped through the tunnel, the familiar scent blasting her full-on. A wave of nostalgia hit her as she entered the big cavity where the she-cats lied, talking quietly or sleeping until their mate or someone else called them from it.

She scanned the group that lived inside; who were all up and staring at her. She felt a small wave of despair when she noticed a majority of them were glaring at her, along with Cloudpaw. One of them came forward, speaking with a small tint of pity in her voice, "Welcome to the Ruins. You've got yourself in quite the conundrum here, kittypet." Lion twitched her ears, her eyes flitting down to their black pelt, and realizing that they were Nettle.

Lion met their gaze full on, "Yeah, I know." She turned away from them, and by habit, automatically went to the corner of the den, where she usually rested. She lied down, ignoring the heavy rock that sat little ways before her head. Her head shot up when she heard the gasps of shock from the group. One of them shot forward, and she gave a small hiss when the crashed into her, hissing, "You can't sleep there!"

She pushed them off, growling under her breath. She asked softly, "Why can I not sleep here?"

She looked up at whoever answered, which was Nettle again, "That was the spot that our bravest she-cat slept. It is not allowed to be used anymore. She was truly the best head she-cat we ever had. She made sure we all got a portion, she even got some of us out of this wretched place."

Lion asked, "What happened to them?"

Nettle's voice turned bitter, "They were killed by their mate five moons ago."

Lion felt a small flicker of betrayal in her chest; none of them recognized her at all. She flattened her ears, looking down. She muttered, "Very well then." She stepped away, glancing back at the area for a few moments before finding an empty spot, lying down and closing her eyes. She was exhausted, and didn't bother to try and clean out her wounds, but simply fell into a deep rest.

 **AN: wHOMP still have writers block lmao. These next few chapters will probs be fillery-ish since I want to get in a ton of extra detail and such before the big ol finale that comes at the end of this story lmao. Other than that some good ol anxiety came around and slapped me in the face and my cat might have a cancerous tumor s o yeah.**

 **Please keep in mind that I am an actual person and I have a life outside of my writing. You guys mean a ton to me (there are over 1,500 of you who read my stories!) and I really appreciate your support and the fact you take time out of your day to read what I write.**

 **Thanks again ^^**


	13. Nettle

Allegiances:

Leader- Howl- Burly gray tom laced with scars (Blue)

Leader's Mate- Cinnamon- Cream-colored she-cat with brown speckles (Amber)

Second in Command (Deputy) - Renegade- Dark brown tabby tom with massive paws (Amber)

Healer- Juniper- Heavily-scarred blue-gray tom (Green)

Scouts- Cinder- Savage gray tom with darker flecks (Blue)

Storm- Feral blue-gray tom with white paws (Blue)

Geno- Black tom with white muzzle and tail (Green)

Glen- Fox-red tom with black ears (Blue)

Laburnum- Golden-brown tom with blackish-brown paws (Amber)

Trice- Black, ginger, and white tortie spotted tom (Blue)

Flare- Cold black and brown tom (Green)

Trainers- Prowl- Black and white striped tom (Blue)

Pounce- Brown and white striped tom (Green)

Fire- Dark ginger tom with small claws (Blue)

Rumble- Dirty-brown tom with darker stripes (Blue)

Heath- Chocolate-brown tom with darker legs (Blue)

Spark- Dark ginger tom with lighter speckles (Amber)

Fighters- Lucky- Black and white tom (Green)

Taboo- Black tom with wide shoulders and long tail (Green)

Skitt- Savage white tom laced with scars (Blue)

Yew- Fox-red tom with long claws (Green)

Buttercup- Only fighter she-cat, cream-colored pelt with long tail (Hazel)

Yuii- Brown tom with white speckles (Blue)

Glade- Quiet silver tom with white splotches (Amber)

Blizzard- Aggressive snow-white tom (Green)

Timber- Brown tabby striped tom (Amber)

Phinn- Gray and white tom (Green)

Kain- Brown tabby tom (Blue)

Streak- Fast blue-gray tom with white streaks (Amber)

Ginger- Dark ginger tom with white spots (Green)

Hazel- Light brown tom with darker spots (Blue)

Speck- Black and white spotted tom (Green)

Hunters- Adder- Reddish-brown tom (Amber)

Xavier- Well-humored black and brown striped tom (Blue)

Jinx- Speckled salt and pepper tom (Blue)

Pine- Brown and white spotted tom (Amber)

Ebony- Black tom with white markings (Amber)

Phoenix- Ginger and golden-furred tom (Green)

Hex- Golden tabby tom (Amber)

Scott- Former house cat, brown tom (Blue)

Comet- Hazel-colored tom /w black speckles (Green)

Crackle- Snappy brown tom (Blue)

Gwen- Dark gray tom (Blue)

Skid- Black and white tabby (Green)

Tink- Gold and white pelted tom (Amber)

Max- Brown tabby tom (Amber)

Trainees- Shard- Fuzzy black tom (Green)

Paper- Long-furred white tom (Amber)

Breeders- Ember- Ginger she-cat with black speckles (Blue) Mate: Gwen

Russet- Dark brown she-cat (Amber) Mate: Tink

She-cats- Creek- Dark brown tabby she-cat (Amber)

Cider- Dark ginger and light brown she-cat (Blue)

Paint- Dappled tortoiseshell she-cat (Green)

Water- Blue-gray she-cat with white paws (Blue)

Stella- Former Kittypet, tortoiseshell she-cat (Green)

Lead- Stone-gray she-cat (Blue)

Nettle- Black-pelted she-cat covered in scars (Dark Green)

Coal- Black and white she-cat (Green)

Aloe- Dark gray she-cat (Green)

Cotton- Quiet cloudy-gray she-cat (Blue)

Feather- Dark gray and white she-cat (Blue)

Emerald- Ginger tabby she-cat (Green)

Crow- Sleek black she-cat with a fierce attitude (Hazel)

Lion/Maple- Long-furred fierce golden and white dappled she-cat (Dark Amber)

Dragonsnap- Quiet ginger she-cat (Green)

Hollowwind- Quiet brown tabby she-cat laced with scars (Blue)

Echowing- Stubborn silver tabby she-cat (Green)

Laketail- Blue-gray she-cat (Hazel)

Rabbitpaw- Jittery light brown and white spotted she-cat (Green)

` Cloudpaw- Small light gray she-cat (Cloudy Blue)

/ThunderClan hasn't really updated a lot so I'll put them in later/

Chapter 10

Lion twitched her tail, pacing back and forth inside the den. She had already been stuck inside for a half-moon and hadn't been called forward for any hunts at all. She hadn't even been assigned a mate, surprisingly. But the main thing that was bugging her was that since she was never called out, she couldn't challenge a tom to rise in the ranks, like one she-cat had done before. Her thoughts were disrupted by a voice sounding from the top of the tunnel, "Come out, we're picking hunters for today."

Lion gave a small sigh of relief, quickly slipping outside. It wasn't the freshest air, but it was still better than the stuffy she-cat's den. She settled down at the edge of the crowd, sitting straight with her tail curled over her paws. She felt her pelt start to bristle when she saw Howl, her eyes narrowing almost immediately. Silence fell when he let out a loud yowl, which echoed around the camp. He growled, "Today we will have a big hunt, there will be no slacking aloud whatsoever. " His blue eyes swept over the crowd before continuing, "All hunters come forward."

Lion watched silently as the large group of toms came forward, settling down in the center of the camp. Howl growled, "The she-cats who will attend the hunt are; Nettle, Paint, Feather, Crow, Dragonsnap, Rabbitpaw, Cloudpaw, and Maple." Lion felt intense relief. She could get out of the wretched place, even if it was for a few moments. She padded forward with the other she-cats, settling down and waiting for Howl to continue, "Any other toms, who wish to attend, come forward." Lion watched as a few toms came forward, joining the large group who were going to hunt. She stiffened when Howl leapt down, beckoning for the group to follow him She growled as she was pushed forward, hurrying to not be squished by the group. She slipped out from the camp, following those who were in front of her.

Unfortunately, Cloudpaw happened to be at her side, and was giving her the death glare. Lion shook her head, focusing on the path ahead. She was itching to just run, and be free from everything. She clenched her jaw, staying at the agonizingly slow pace as they rounded corners and jumped fences. She gave a small breath of relief when they came to the big wooden fence, which was a small distance from WindClan's moors, as well as RiverClan. The big houses with and farm areas were where they usually stopped at, but sometimes they stopped on WindClan's land, or maybe close to the border with ThunderClan. It always varied. She sat down, waiting for Howl or Adder to address the rules that they decided on.

Howl stepped forward, growling, "All she-cats must pair with a tom. There will be no running away or disobedience. Got that?" He narrowed his eyes, "We will be hunting here and the moors, and if you wish the city to find rats. No prey stealing or forcing another to hunt for you, alright?"

There were a few quiet murmurs, and then everyone broke away, the toms picking the she-cats they would be partnering with. She bristled when Tink approached her, his tail curled up high. He purred, "Hey, we'd be a good team, wouldn't we?" She held back the urge to snarl at him when he stroked his tail along her back.

She stood sharply, answering, "Fine then. Let's go." Tink walked ahead of her, and as much as she hated to admit it, he was a lot bigger than her. She kept her ears flat, following the gold and white tom as he padded toward the moors, where some others were straying. She didn't trust WindClan at all, especially since their she-cats had almost been in the Ruins for over three seasons and they still hadn't taken them back.

She shook her head slightly, looking back ahead to see if there were any rabbits to catch. She froze once she spotted a small cluster of about four. They were nibbling on grass, oblivious to her. She scented the air, which was downwind. They couldn't scent her. Unfortunately, Tink had also spotted them. She hissed quietly, whisking her tail in front of him as he bunched his haunches, ready to spring. He glared at her, but settled down, watching her closely. She twitched her whiskers, stalking forward. She kept her breath quiet, ears flat and her paws light.

Then she sprang, catching a rabbit by the neck. They began running, and she sprinted after, dropping the one she had caught. She quickly gained on an older one, snagging its back leg and pulling it close to her. She bit down on its neck, killing it quickly. She padded back, the old rabbit in her jaws. Tink was staring at the other, sniffing. She dropped the other next to it, grumbling, "No eating it yet."

He glared at her, baring his teeth, "You can't tell me what to do, she-cat."

She shrugged, "Hey, true enough." She bent down, "But I can tell Howl, or maybe Adder, that you've broken their rules by taking my catch."

He snarled, "You wouldn-"

He was cut off by a loud shriek of terror. Lion's head shot up, and she launched off her hind paws in the direction of the scream. Her paws thumped against the ground, scaring off any prey around her. Another ear-piercing shriek split through the air, causing her to push harder, ignoring the feeling of exhaustion in her legs and chest. She skidded to a halt at the scene, which was close to the ThunderClan border. The stench of fox was overwhelming, almost making her want to run away.

Her eyes went straight to whoever was calling for help, which was Nettle. She was on the ground, terrified, and a bloody wound on her side. Further away lied a still body, blood coated. She wasted no time, springing at the fox. She snarled, "Get away from her, you mangy beast!" She lunged at it, jaws snapping over its leg. She jumped back before it could get her. Her eyes narrowed, fur bristling as she stood ready to attack in front of Nettle, who was lying on the ground, frozen in terror.

Lion yowled, "Come get me, filth!" The fox snapped at her, teeth bared. She ducked away, snarling when its jaws snagged the tip of her ear, leaving it torn and bloody. She jumped, claws digging into its pelt. She hissed, scratching and biting. The fox yelped, throwing her off. It didn't back away though, but it seemed angrier. It growled, gnashing its blood-stained teeth. It lunged, and she swiped, scratching it on the muzzle.

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Tink, frozen stiff and staring in fear. She turned to him, yowling, "Come on coward, fight!" She jumped back when the fox lunged at her. She looked back to Tink, feeling a deep sense of betrayal when he started running, tail between his legs. She turned back to the fox, which was creeping up on her. She began backing away; teeth bared in a snarl as she slowly lead it away from Nettle, who lied on the ground, bleeding slowly. It took the bait, following her. She slowly guided it to the area where the ground drops off into the stream, with several rocks at the bottom.

She gritted her teeth, stopping and waiting for the fox to approach her. She'd have to knock one of its legs out and push it over the edge. The fox lunged at her, snarling. She shot underneath it, kicking out its hind leg, and as it started to fall, heaved upwards and pushed it. She panted, watching as the fox fell and hit the sharp rocks, letting out a sharp, loud yelp of pain before growing still. She started heading back, starting to run to get to Nettle's aid.

She skidded to a halt at the black she-cat's side, moving quickly. She shoved her muzzle underneath the bleeding she-cat, rolling her onto her back. She started toward the ThunderClan border, splashing through the stream. She didn't care that someone might have been following them as she hurried to the ThunderClan camp. She stopped a few times when Nettle started slipping from her back, pushing her back up and continuing.

She ignored the cuts and scrapes she got from recklessly shoving her way through the forest, stepping on small rocks and snagging her pelt on sharp sticks and thorns. She eventually made it to the camp, squeezing through the entrance and hurrying down the slope. Quite a few members saw her and came to her aid, especially the Ruins she-cats, who hurried to her side. Lion hissed quietly to them, "Go check to make sure no one followed me here." Roseshade and Sapwing both gave her a tiny nod, taking off to the entrance of camp. She hurried to the medicine cat's den, where she knew Hollowtrunk was, having heard all the commotion from her arrival. She slid inside, quickly getting Nettle off her back and into a nest.

She settled down and sighed once Hollowtrunk hurriedly cleaned the wound and applied poultice and cobwebs to Nettle's nasty wound. Once he finished on Nettle he began to treat her smaller wounds, asking her, a tint of annoyance in his voice, "What happened this time, Lion?"

Lion twitched her whiskers, "A fox."

He growled, "Again? You haven't even been out of my den for a moon and you're already running into trouble." She snorted, staying quiet until he finished treating her wounds. She turned around when she heard Nettle shifting in her nest, and moved towards her when she noticed the she-cat's eyes starting to open.

She spoke softly, "Hey."

At her words, Nettle's head shot up, her eyes wide in shock as she started stuttering, "I- there's a fox! You have to get away!"

Lion was about to answer, when Hollowtrunk beat her to it, "The fox is gone, Lion chased it off." She internally cringed, preparing for Nettle's response. The she-cat just stared blankly, confusion in her eyes.

Lion spoke quickly, "Just get some rest, okay?" Nettle gave her a small nod, slowly lying her head back down. She sighed, ears drooping slightly. She turned to Hollowtrunk, speaking quietly, "Thanks for treating her. I have to get back to the group."

The medicine cat replied, "No need to thank me, Lion. Go do what you need too." She flicked an ear, turning and padding out of the medicine cat's den. As she headed up the slope she passed Roseshade and Sapwing, dipping her head to the pair. She slipped out of the camp, breaking into a run.

 **AN: uhhh sorry I haven't updated in forever aha**

 **Writers block got worse plus I'm going out a lot more because of Pokemon GO oops.**

 **I'm trying to write faster rn so sorry if this seems all over the place aaa ;v;**

 **Also cat update; she's doing fine! She just had some fairly large cysts that slowly went away on their own, so she's doing great atm. We're taking her to the vet this Saturday for a checkup so I'll try and post another chapter by then!**


	14. Demon of the Forest

Chapter 11

Lion was growling under her breath as she weaved her way through the forest. She would have to confront Tink about his cowardly behavior, and then she'd have to go through the dragging agony of him thinking her opinion didn't matter because she 'was just a she-cat.' Despite her anger, she forced herself to move silently through the forest, making sure she was looking for prey since there was quite a while until the hunting parties had to get back together. She froze when there was a faint rustling in the bushes ahead, crouching down low. She kept her ears flat and head low, staring through the underbrush at the rustling bushes. That's when she noticed there was a mouse scampering about a fox-length away from the bush.

Once she saw the glint of eyes from past the bush, she froze, waiting for the hunter to make a move. To her astonishment, Cloudpaw shot out from the bushes, killing the mouse instantly. During the commotion, Lion quickly rolled around in dirt, so she appeared differently just in case she had to confront the apprentice. She wrinkled her nose when Laburnum came out of the bushes, growling at the apprentice, "That was my catch, you insolent trash!" She held back the urge to jump and tackle him when he slashed open the she-cat's cheek, teeth bared.

That's when she decided to intervene, slowly stalking forward and rustling the undergrowth in the process. Laburnum's head snapped in her direction, and his eyes began to grow wary. She stopped and fluffed her coat up, so it appeared dirty and unruly, nothing like how she usually looked, as well as making her look bigger. She flitted her ears forward, narrowing her eyes into thin points and curling her lip. Laburnum growled, uncertainty clear in his voice, "Come out, right now." She stayed still, watching and holding in a snort of laughter when the confused tom spun around a few times, his eyes flitting in all directions as fast as they could go.

That's when she moved, tackling the tom and digging her teeth deep into his shoulder, claws hooked into the flesh on his back and chest. He yowled in pain, trying to tear himself away from her. She let go of his shoulder, snarling. He tried to counter back, and she simply moved her head away from his paw. Her claws dragged down, creating long and nasty wounds. She released him, snarling angrily as he started backing away from her, eyes alit with actual fear. Cloudpaw was starting to back away from her too, and she could scent the apprentice's fear.

She advanced on Laburnum, who turned tail and began running. Lion pursued, paws thumping hard against the forest floor as she chased the tom to the WindClan border. Once he splashed over the stream she skidded to a halt, yowling, "Stay out of this forest!" She growled to herself, eyes relaxing from their narrow and her bristling fur smoothing back out. She shook her pelt, knocking off leaves and twigs as well as shaking the dirt out from her fur. She cleaned the blood out of her fur in the stream, pulling out the tufts of Laburnum's fur from between her claws. She stared down at her own reflection, tail swishing softly against the ground. She observed her pelt, her sleek white and gold fur parted and broken from the moons of abuse. She stared at her bad eye, which had clouded over and paled to a sandy color rather than the blazing dark amber. Her ears were tattered and a tooth tuck out from her lip, digging ever so slightly into the skin on her chin. There were crease lines along the bridge of her nose and small bags beneath her eyes. She stood up sharply, sweeping a paw over her reflection.

She turned around, staring into the forest and wishing she could just drop her mission and run away. She gave a small sigh, wondering if she should start searching through the forest for Cloudpaw, since she hadn't run away with the Scout tom, and probably used that moment to escape. She was positive that a ThunderClan patrol would find the apprentice and welcome her or that she would wander to ShadowClan, who had allied with them and agreed to take in any of the she-cats. She gave the forest a glance, before splashing across the stream. She headed back to the area where the fox was, ready to retrieve the dead tom.

She bristled when she got there. The body was nowhere to be seen. She paced around, scenting the grass and looking for a trail or any sign of a grave. But there wasn't anything at all. She frowned, completely stumped. It wasn't possible for the dead to just disappear. Unless someone extremely skillful passed by and taken the body with them. She stiffened when something around her rustled. She looked around, uncertain. A loud hiss was enough to get her running away from the spot.

She ran swiftly, paws skimming over the grass and whipping past heather and taller grass. She shivered as a gust of cold wind swept over her pelt. Leaf-bare had started roughly a moon ago, but they were yet to have their first snowfall. She forced herself to keep going, despite the chilly air and her aching muscles. Horseplace came into view, and she could spot the group that had gathered there, their catches lying by them.

She hurried over, out of breath. She got there in time to see that Laburnum was there, showing off the long wounds he had received. Her ears twitched as he heard him talking about it, "Theres some sort of demon in that forest!" She held back the urge to glare at the tom, who continued, "It was massive! And had these crazy eyes." He had attracted a crowd already, and then he declared, "It killed my mate right in front of me, that thing."

She got to her paws, yawning and staring right at the tom, her flaming eyes boring right into his. He snorted, "It kind of looked like that she-cat over there."

She answered back, her voice sweet, "Me? But I am a wee little she-cat." She stretched, flopping on her side and declaring dramatically, "I'm so weak, even your voice has brought me to near death!" Her ears twitched as she heard chuckles. She snorted, rolling to her paws and shaking out her coat.

Laburnum growled, "Whatever, forest demon."

She twitched her whiskers, "I kind of like that name, Demon of the Forest." She sighed dramatically again, "Oh well, it's not like I'll ever be big and scary enough to live up to that title." She couldn't help to stare at his wounds, and despite herself, felt slightly guilty about it. She looked around, wondering if she might be able to recognize any healing herbs in the area from her time spent in Hollowtrunk's den. After all, Juniper just slapped cobwebs on it and called it healed.

Her eyes landed on a small growth at the corner of a stable and the dirt ground, which she could tell was dock leaf, or it was something similar. She padded over to it, sniffing the leaves and was greeted with the familiar bittersweet scent, causing her to wrinkle her nose. It was definitely dock. She grabbed as many leaves as she could, cringing at the taste. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't spot any particularly big cobwebs, but there were a few smaller ones, which she snagged with a paw. She could tell that a few cats were watching her, since she could feel their stares boring down on her back.

She turned back around, and since she had a paw wrapped with cobwebs, hopped back over to the crowd. She shuffled her way through it, resting the dock leaves down and looking at Laburnum, bluntly stating, "Those scratches bother me. Come here."

He sneered, "Why should I?"

She blinked, "Well, unless you want to die from a horrible infection, I'd suggest you get your tail over here and let me treat those wounds." He stared in offense at her, but slowly stalked over to her, tail lashing. He sat down in front of her, and she quickly started chewing up the dock leaves, spitting them out onto her paw and pressing it into the wounds.

He hissed, "What the hell? That stings, use something else."

She snapped, "Well if you can handle a 'forest demon' then I'm positive you can handle the sting of a dock leaf!" She finished applying the poultice to the long claw marks, using the webs to cover it up as best as she could. She growled, "There. Don't mess around enough to have it removed in the first day." He rolled his eyes, stalking away from her. She glared back at him, picking up the extra dock leaves and settling down. She stared over the moors in curiosity, still pondering over the mysterious case involving the tom could have been, or where Nettle's partner went.

Unfortunately, she didn't notice that Howl had returned, standing by her side. She gave a small hiss of alarm, scrambling away from him before his heavy gray paw cuffed her ear. She got to her paws, ears flat as she resisted the urge to glare up at him. Instead, she gave him a flat expression. He growled, "No prey?"

She flicked her tail at Tink, who still sat contentedly with the two rabbits between his paws. She responded, "Ask him, after all, he did leave me to die."

Howl lowered his head, staring her in the eye. She stared right back at him, eyes locked like a battle between fire and water. Out of the corner of her eye, she could spot his unsheathed claws. She sighed, "If you want to claw me, go ahead."

Howl growled, "I'll take out your other eye, she-cat."

She narrowed her eyes, "Now what a shame that would be." Howl growled, raising a paw and striking out at her. She kept her eyes locked with his, staying still and waiting while he was growling impatiently, paw raised and claws unsheathed. She stayed frozen still, waiting for the blow. To her surprise, he hissed in impatience, stalking away from her. She snorted quietly, "Salty much?" She grabbed the dock leaves, waiting for Howl to signal that they were leaving. She got to her paws when he kinked his tail, as did everyone else. She followed the group over the fence, trying her best to ignore the bitter taste of the dock. She would need it. She followed the rest of the group through the winding streets and alleys in the city. She sighed as they walked, ignoring the aching in her pads.

Eventually they made it to the border of the Ruins territory and the rest of the city. They crossed quietly, and she stopped when she heard a small noise behind them. She turned around, eyes flitting around, but spotting nothing. She shivered, turning back towards the group and hurrying back. Unfortunately, she stopped right at Tink's side. Her ears twitched when his muffled voice sounded, "This was a hunt for food, not plants."

She glared up at him, answering sharply, "Well you're probably going to need these soon, so I'd shut your trap if I were you." He glared at her, before raising his head and staring back up at the path ahead. Soon they made it back to the camp, setting their prey down at the side of camp, leaving the center clear. She padded to the she-cats den, setting the dock down at the very edge of the entrance, enough so it wouldn't get trampled on. After that, she stalked right into the center of the camp.

Fortunately for her, Howl noticed immediately, growling, "What do you want, she-cat?"

She stared up at him, and purred sweetly, "I wish to challenge someone."

She stood unfazed as he laughed, "Really, you? Very well then, who do you wish to battle?"

She looked right at Tink, and answered almost immediately, "I wish to challenge Tink." The golden tom's head shot up at the sound of his name, and he glared right at her, a smirk on his face.

Howl snorted, "Alright then." He got to his paws as Tink lumbered over to the clearing. He yowled, "Maple the She-cat challenges Tink the Hunter!"

She faced him, sitting while he was in a defensive crouch. Howl yowled, "May the battle begin!" Tink shot off his paws immediately. Using her small size to an advantage, she swiftly ducked out of the way, turning sharply and clawing his ear. He snarled, whipping around. She jumped back, claws unsheathed. She kept her face flat as she attacked and defended herself. Tink charged at her, clumsily and off balance. She backed up, pretending to go for his left and then swiftly changing to the right, her claws tearing into his shoulder.

Blood stained her claws, starting to splatter on her pelt. Tink had yet to land a single blow on her. But that came soon enough, his claws snagging the tip of her ear. She didn't reel back at all, almost ignoring the blow entirely. She felt light and skilled, staying on guard. She dodged another swipe, cutting in and clawing his face. He snarled in pain, shying away from her for a split second.

In that time she tackled him, her teeth digging right into his shoulder. She pushed the hefty tom onto his back, as he was off balance. On instinct she dug her claws into his soft belly, stopping herself before she dragged them down, which would result in death. Tink was stiff, staring at her with his eyes filled with cold fear. She spoke, "Yield or die? Which will it be?" She locked gazes with him, keeping her expression flat, almost looking unimpressed.

When he didn't answer she pressed down harder, and he gave a small whimper of pain. She growled, "Well?"

Tink looked away from her, hissing quietly, "I yield."

She stared at him, "What was that? I don't think they heard you."

She could see Tink gritting his teeth together before announcing in defeat, "I yield!" She released him at his words, ignoring the commotion that broke out around them.

She watched as Howl sprang down from his perch, staring at both of them before announcing, "Maple has won this duel, from now on you will be a huntress." She stopped before giving her a small look, "Congratulations." He turned to Tink, growling, "As for you, since you lost to a _she-cat_ , you will be demoted to a trainee." She twitched her whiskers in satisfaction, padding to the edge of camp and waiting for Howl to announce when the big meal would happen. Until then, she rested her head on her paws, dozing off.

 **AN: u ghhhhh I really don't feel like writing at all I don't know why? I'm just tired all the time and ASB is making me go back to school for a few days in summer (also, we start school in 7 days, yay) So that stuff has been really exhausting and such. I'm not sure how much school is going to cut back my writing so there's that.**

 **So please, take this chapter that kinda just is all over the place**


	15. Echo and Whisper

Chapter 12

Lion lied inside the hunter's den, curled up in a ball in the nest made of scraps of rags and soft grass. She grumbled under her breath as a cold draft blew through the wide entrance, ruffling her fur and bringing in a few snowflakes. She had been a hunter for almost half a moon, and surprisingly Tink had not challenged her for his spot at all. She had grown stronger and faster from the hunting the group did every day. Unfortunately, the hunters had not accepted her easily, and her nest was pushed to the very edge of the den, where the drafts were blocked by her, causing her to be chilled to the bone almost every night. Another cold draft blew through, and she flattened her ears, rolling her cold side into the warm nest to get rid of the burning cold sensation.

It was currently night, and the hunters were taking turns doing guard shifts. She knew her turn would come soon. Unfortunately, a paw sharply jabbed her side, and a voice hissed in her ear, "Get up, it's your turn to guard." She hissed, getting to her paws and stalking outside. Snow was falling lightly, the ground littered with a fine cover. She stalked through it silently, taking a seat by the entrance. She stood there, her ears twitching and turning every once in a while. She observed the clearing, her eyes watching for any movement. She kept her claws unsheathed, wary.

After a while she got to her paws, starting to pace. Something felt off, but she wasn't sure what it was. She had the feeling of being watched. She scanned the clearing once more, tense and preparing for any surprise attack of any sort. There was no one out of the dens, or anyone watching her from inside a den. She couldn't wait any longer, whipping around and peering out into the darkness. She parted her jaws, something that smelled strongly of plant growth was nearby, which she knew was a tactic of hiding your actual scent. She kept her claws unsheathed as she crept outside the camp, muscles tense. After she had crept out a few tail-lengths, something tackled her, shoving her muzzle onto the ground.

She hissed in pain, retaliating almost immediately. She reared up, landing on her back and crushing whoever had attacked her. Another form darted in, and she quickly rolled to her paws before it could claw her stomach, instead taking a blow to the side. She got into a defensive position, her eyes adjusting quickly. She was greeted with two close to warrior-ages cats, both staring at her with a glare. She kept her eyes on them as they started to circle around. One of them, a multi-colored she-cat, charged at her, claws unsheathed. She dodged the blow, whipping around and hitting the she-cat across the head with a heavy paw. The tom cut after that, hissing in anger.

Lion wasn't expecting the force of his blow, stumbling back and letting out a snarl of pain. She recovered in time to see him preparing for another attack. In the short window of time she landed a blow, clawing the tom in the face. He let out a small whine of pain, shaking the blood off. She hesitated; she was fully trained and capable of beating the two, but she was uncertain whether or not they were just passing through and saw her as a threat. However, in the moment of her hesitation, both attacked. One latched onto her shoulder, and the other snapped at her throat. She clenched her teeth in irritation, using a hefty paw to slam the one aiming for her neck down on the ground, hard. The one on her shoulder released her, giving a small cry of, "Whisper!"

She stood still as the she-cat, Whisper, shakily got to her paws, reassuring her brother, "I'm fine, Echo."

The tom, or Echo, whipped around to face her, growling, "You hurt her!"

Lion replied bluntly, "You're the ones who attacked me first, don't think you're innocent." She stared at him, her fiery amber gaze locking with his dark blue. He hissed, getting ready to pounce. She snapped, "Stop."

He growled, "Why should I?"

She shot back, "I don't think you know the position you're in here." He stopped at that, eyes growing wary.

Echo answered her, "Why is that?"

She flicked her tail at the entrance to the Ruins, "I can raise the alarm right now If I wanted to. There are over twenty cats in there. They'll take you and your sister and force roles upon you." She looked at Whisper, "They abuse she-cats. You would be treated like dirt and told you are worth nothing. The only use you have is to be a breeding tool and look pretty."

Whisper spoke this time; eyes narrowed, "Then why are you out here?"

She met her gaze, "I fought to get to my place. It's not easy. They'll still reject you and try to hurt you." She watched as Echo slowly backed away from her and to his sister's side.

Her ears twitched as he quietly spoke to his sister, "Come on, we have to leave. She's not worth it."

She stayed at her spot as they fled, staring after then. She couldn't help but be curious on how they got to the Ruins territory, or where they were heading. She stared down at the snow, where there were numerous signs of a battle. Prints, smudges, blood spots. She got to her paws, giving the direction they had fled to a quick look before slipping back into the camp. She had to report it to Howl, no matter what, she couldn't hide evidence like that.

She padded to his den, wincing at the slight limp she had. She hesitated before it, her heart starting to beat faster. She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to slip inside of it. He was lying in his nest, eyes half closed with Cinnamon's small frame curled up in a tight ball beside him. He raised his head when he spotted her standing in front of the den. He rumbled, "What is it?"

She hardened her gaze, "There were two young cats trying to spy on the camp."

Howl got to his paws, growling, "I assume you chased them off?"

She answered, voice tense, "Yes, they should know what happens if they come in this area again." She tried her best to not run when he padded toward her. She kept her eyes on him as he circled around her. Trying desperately to keep her breathing steady and staying still when he was directly behind her. She held in a growl when he approached her bad side, his muzzle getting close enough that she could feel his breath rustling her whiskers. Her ears twitched when he growled, "Well if they return, you know what is going to happen." She opened her jaws, but quickly shut them; she'd rather not risk anything by talking back.

She stiffened up when she felt him nuzzle her neck, growling softly, "It'd be a shame to lose someone with so much… potential." At that point she felt sick, her heart racing so fast she was worried if Howl could feel it. She started to bristle when he forcefully twined his tail with hers, and right when she was thinking nothing could go any worse, Cinnamon raised her head drowsily, staring directly at her. Their eyes met; hers wide in fear while Cinnamon looked sleepy and confused. She slowly came to realization of what was happening.

Her expression changed from shock to a relieved and almost _mocking_ look. Lion stood up sharply, finally able to move. Howl narrowed his blue eyes, staring right at her. She finally spoke, and despite the state of panic she was in, her voice was icy, "Well I'm positive you wouldn't want to kill someone with the 'potential' you speak of." She turned her back of the big gray tom, starting to leave the den.

He growled, "Watch yourself, she-cat."

She turned around, eyes narrowed, "Oh, I'll make sure I do." She left his den, feeling weak and shaky. She returned to her post, too nervous to wake up the next guard. After a while, a burning curiosity grew in her on where the two rogues had gone to. Unfortunately, because they had disguised their scent, she had no trails to follow, as they most likely traveled back through grasses and plant life. She stood in her spot, twitching her ears ever so often as snow piled up on them. She slowed her breathing, relieving the panic that had wedged into her chest.

She then remembered the mocking look Cinnamon had given her. She knew exactly what Cinnamon was thinking, that Howl would claim her as his mate. She sheathed and unsheathed her claws, pelt bristling. She clicked her teeth together, standing up and starting to pace. She kept her amber eyes trained on the ground, ears flat. Her mind was devoid of though as she paced, unable to think about anything except for defiance. She would _never_ be Howl's mate again. She let out a long sigh, looking up again.

She tensed again when she saw Howl's deep blue eyes staring out at her, pupils narrow. The same fear returned, growing intense when they locked gazes. For the first time ever, she looked away first, trying her best not to shake. After a while Howl's deep blue eyes closed, leaving her alone in the darkness. She sat still, jaw clenched. That was how she sat for the rest of the night, in total silence, the only movement was her breathing and the occasional blink of an eye.

She finally shifted when the skies started to fade from black to navy blue to a pale blue. It had stopped snowing somewhere in the middle of the night. She stood up, stumbling a bit, her joints sore from sitting in the same position the entire day. Snow and frost came off her fur, landing on the ground. The spot she had been sitting in was clean, the stone warmed by her body. She stretched, licking her jaws just as the toms were starting to wake up. She watched as Adder slipped out of the den, eyes narrowed in confusion. Eventually his gaze landed on her, surprise lighting in them.

She flattened her ears as he padded toward her, ready for him to snap at her. To her surprise, he just asked, "Why didn't you wake anyone else up for the guard duty?"

She yawned, answering sleepily, "There was an incident and I didn't want to leave the post to wake someone else up."

He snorted, "Very well then, get some rest. I'll wake you up when we're about to leave on the hunt." She stared wide-eyed at the tom, he was actually acting sensible. Before he could say anything she hurried into the Hunters den, flopping down into her nest. She curled up into a tight ball, trying to fall asleep. After a few minutes of trying, she had no luck. She rolled onto her stomach, letting out a long sigh. She sat in her nest for a while, starting to groom her messy and cold coat, as well as washing the blood off and cleaning her wounds. Soon it was glossy and neat, looking as best as she could get it to. She stood back up, since she couldn't sleep. She left the den, the sun had risen enough to glare down at her, causing her to screw her eyes shut when they started to sting.

The pain woke her up, and despite herself, she shook out her neat coat to combat the chilly air. She settled down a few tail-lengths away from the hunter's den, head resting on her paws. She felt sick when she saw Howl emerge from his den, stretching and yawning. Cinnamon hurried after him, a glint in her eyes. Lion bristled, raising her head when Cinnamon glanced at her. The same mocking look returned to the cream and brown she-cat. She narrowed her eyes, glaring at the small she-cat. She didn't let up, staring at the she-cat unlit fear sparked in her eyes. She twitched her whiskers, taking her eyes off Cinnamon as she stood and waited for Howl to tell the hunters what they were going to do today.

Her ears flattened when he yowled loudly, calling forward the cats of the Ruins. He growled, "Hunters, come forward!" She got to her paws, stepping into the center of the clearing, others flocking around her. He looked down at them, and she shuffled uncomfortably when his gaze lingered on her. She gave a small sigh of relief when he finally looked away. He growled, "Because it is cold season, I want you to spend as much time out hunting as possible." He turned to look at the she-cat's group, "None of the she-cats are going to hunt during cold season. Maple is the only exception."

He growled, "Well then, be off. Return before the sun sets." Adder nodded, leading the group out of the camp. Lion followed, giving the camp a fleeting glance before slipping outside, her exhaustion simply a bother now. She followed them through the broken city slowly, narrowing her eyes against the harsh breeze that whistled in her ears. It only grew worse when they made it to WindClan territory. She growled in irritation, unable to hear Adder as he gave commands, but simply shot off once everyone else started to leave.

She headed straight to ThunderClan territory, unable to stand listening to the horrendous wind. After a while of walking the familiar tall trees started to get bigger, the stream coming into view. She faltered when she spotted the area where she had found the dead tom, which still made her burn in curiosity. She splashed across the stream, heading into the forest. She sighed in relief as the whistling stopped, her ears greeted with the soothing rustling of the trees, and the scratching of wood as mice and squirrels scampered around, looking for food before retreating to their nests for the rest of the season.

She padded through the territory, her soft and skilled paws stepping silently over fallen leaves and snow. She stopped when something moved in front of her, and she crept towards it. A long fluffy tail indicated a squirrel. Right when she was about to pounce something crashed into her, shoving her muzzle into the white snow below. She sneezed, shoving whoever was on her off. A loud laugh sounded, tinted with joy. Lion grumbled as she saw Mintcloud, rolling in the snow laughing. She sprang, shoving her friend into a large drift. A loud yowl of, "Mintcloud!" sounded, Stoneclaw and Sapwing emerged from the forest, Stoneclaw looking angry.

Sapwing twitched her whiskers, heading after Stoneclaw, but Lion noticed something different about her sister, her eyes were sparkling with joy, and despite the lack of prey, she seemed oddly plump. Sapwing gave her a small smile, ears twitching. She purred quietly, "I'll tell you when we're back at camp." Lion nodded, though she had a hunch on what it was. She turned her attention to Mintcloud, who was looking down at her paws while Stoneclaw scolded her for running off. Lion watched in amusement, whiskers twitching. She snuck up behind the big gray tom, springing and pushing him right into the drift that she had pushed Mintcloud in. The blue-gray she-cat had moved away just in time to not get crushed. Stoneclaw yowled in shock, pulling his head out of the snow and letting out an army of sneezes.

He growled, shaking his head and glaring at the duo. Lion twitched her whiskers, all her worries about Howl and the Ruins gone for this small moment. Mintcloud purred, sitting down at her side. Lion twitched an ear, turning to her friend, "How has everyone been?"

Mintcloud answered back, her voice light and happy, "Everyone has been okay, we found someone wandering around the territory, they're at camp right now." Lion knew exactly who it was, Cloudpaw. She continued, "Surprisingly, the prey hasn't cut back that much, just getting scrawny." Lion followed the small patrol through the forest, weaving through the forest as they caught up with each other. Her ears pricked in interest when Mintcloud told her some more interesting news, "Iceblaze and Swanfeather's kits are being apprenticed in a few days, too. Sorrelcreek's kit is being apprenticed soon."

Lion gave her friend a quick glance, "Do you think you might get one of them? You've been a warrior for quite a while."

Mintcloud's ears pricked up, "I hope so, I'd love to mentor one of them."

Lion snorted, "Don't kill them with your eagerness, Mintcloud."

She laughed when her friend gave her a fake glare, shoving her with her shoulder. During their conversation, they had made it to ThunderClan camp, and she followed them inside, heading down the familiar slope and into the main clearing. She spotted Nettle basking in the sunlight outside the medicine cat's den, her eyes half-shut. She padded toward her, clearing her voice and speaking, "Hey, Nettle."

The black she-cat's eyes flew open in surprise, but she calmed down a few seconds after. Nettle got to her paws, dipping her head to Lion. Lion twitched her whiskers when the she-cat spoke, voice shaking, "Thank you."

Lion spoke gently, "Don't thank me, you deserve this freedom, Nettle." Nettle looked up, her green eyes big.

Nettle butted her shoulder with her head affectionately, purring, "You're a good cat, Lion."

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips, "Thanks, Nettle." The she-cat shook her head, settling back down to enjoy the sun.

Lion raised her head when she heard Sapwing's voice, "Lion, come here!" She got to her paws and hurried over to her sister, waiting for her news. She was sitting next to Stoneclaw, who had his chest puffed out in pride. Sapwing sounded excited, joy radiating from her pelt. She purred, "Lion, I'm expecting kits."

The golden and white furred she-cat was shocked for a few moments, but then her eyes softened, this wasn't the Ruins. Kits did not mean death here. Lion purred, "Congratulations. When are they due?"

Sapwing mewed, "Early new-leaf, the best time possible."

Lion gave a small nod, "That's great." She turned over to Stoneclaw, who still looked prideful, and mewed, "You better take good care of my sister, okay, Stoneclaw?"

The big gray tom looked down, his eyes tinged with amusement, which was an odd sight. He rumbled, "I will, don't worry."

Lion turned her attention back to Sapwing, "Is Streamstar here?"

Sapwing nodded, "She's in her den." Lion flicked an ear in gratitude, heading to the large rocks, which lead to the leader's den. She sprang up, landing on one before jumping up to the other. She stood outside Streamstar's den, entering quietly.

She called out, "Streamstar?"

The ThunderClan leader replied, raising her head from the nest she slept in, "I'm right here."

Lion felt comforted by the black and white leader's presence, like a kit with its mother. She blinked, and updated the leader, "Nothing much has happened while I've returned to the Ruins. No-one there recognized me at all." She stopped to take a quick breath, "I ranked up to a Hunter, one of the toms there seems to be more sensible than the others."

Streamstar interrupted her, tail twitching, "Who might that be?"

Lion snorted, "Adder, the Hunter's leader." She looked straight at the leader, "Other than that, there were two young warrior-age cats in the Ruins last night. After they fought they headed here, so I'd recommend you keep lookout for them. They go by the names Echo and Whisper."

Streamstar got to her paws, stretching, and then padding up to her, "Thank you for this information, Lion."

Lion shook her head, "Any time." Streamstar twitched her whiskers, slipping out of her den. Lion followed, squinting her eyes against the harsh sunlight. She sprang down the boulders, landing with a slight thud onto the sandy ground. She scanned the camp, spotting a slight movement, and a fluffy white tail. She twitched her whiskers, knowing Cloudpaw was safe inside the ThunderClan camp. She started up the slope, waving her tail in farewell before slipping through the exit. She padded through the forest. She followed the trail that she and the others had made; stopping and snorting in amusement as she recalled Stoneclaw's angry face.

She let out a small sigh, but kept going, going wherever she seemed fit. After a while of wandering around in the forest she heard something scratching at wood. She stiffened, lowering into a crouch and parting her jaws to scent the air. The scent of pigeon flooded her mouth, and she scanned around, pinpointing it. A fairly plump pigeon was scratching at the root of a tree, sometimes pecking at a fallen seed. She crept closer, lightly placing her paws down as she neared it.

She was getting ready to pounce when something in the bushed across moved, and a gray shape jumped out, snarling. The pigeon squawked in surprise, taking off. Lion hissed, springing and grabbing it before it got too high. It was dead on impact, and she landed on the ground, facing whoever had tried and failed to catch it. She dropped the pigeon, hissing, "Who taught you how to hunt?"

Whoever it was whipped around, and to her surprise, she was greeted with the angry face of Echo, "I taught myself!"

She picked up the pigeon, mumbling around it, "Well you better sharpen that skill, or else you'll never catch anything."

He hissed at her, bristling. Whisper's face peeked out from the bushes, eyes flickering in curiosity. She gave an inward groan when the she-cat looked at her sharply, but she wasn't glaring, just suspicious. She dropped the pigeon at Echo's paws, growling, "Take it."

He bristled, "I can hunt on my own, thanks."

She rolled her eyes, "Based on what I saw, I don't think you'll be eating for a while after this." He growled, grabbing the pigeon and stalking away.

He called, "Come on Whisper, we have to keep moving!"

Lion watched as the piebald she-cat looked back at her brother, then at her. Lion stood still as the she-cat hurried over to her, whispering quietly, "Meet me here on the full moon." Lion was about to ask why, but the she-cat has already fled, following her brother and leaving her confused.

 **AN: HI SORRY I HAVENT UPDATED LMAO,, School started and I've kinda been trying to keep up with all the schoolwork, and since I'm in Student government I always have to get there early or stay late and plan a lot of events and homework is another thing,, but this chapter has two guest characters; Echo and Whisper belong to SuperBailey!**

 **I'm not sure how much longer this story will go on for, but most likely it will reach twenty to thirty chapters, and sorry again if this chapter seems all over the place, still struggling with writers block lmao ;;v;**

 **Also:: Lion's description changed to a genetically correct style. Since Streamstar was born with a tuxedo pelt and Leopordclaw has a golden/ginger and white color, Lion has a light ginger base coat, with darker ginger/red stripes and spotting, she has tuxedo markings as well as a white muzzle, and a v floofy tail.**

 **Her ref sheet is up on both my Instagram and Deviantart!**

 **Deviantart username;; Puqqlez**

 **Instagram username;; Zuffoodles**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter ;;v;;**


	16. Him

Chapter 13

It didn't take long for Cinnamon to spread a nasty rumor about her. She sat outside the hunters den, bristling in annoyance. The small she-cat had told the entire she-cats den and quite a few toms that she was in a secret affair with the leader. The lie had spread like wildfire, and here she was, no proof to deny those claims. She bristled under the sharp stared, returning them but with glares that burned like flames. She completely avoided the she-cat's den, and absolutely dreaded that she had to sit with the group of cats. She tried her best to take her mind off it, and instead started to think about what Whisper had said.

The full moon was quite a while away, just a little under a moon. She was burning with curiosity, uncertain of what the she-cat meant, or what she wanted to tell her. She rested her head on her paws, letting out a long sigh, tail twitching. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted Cinnamon, surprisingly not with the stony gray leader. The small she-cat made her way over to her, eyes sparkling. Lion bristled, sitting up. She spoke coolly, dipping her head, "Cinnamon." She was currently underneath the she-cat in ranking, and no doubt the liar would tell someone about it.

She flattened her ears against the shrill, overly-happy voice, "Heya, Maple!" Lion kneaded the hard ground with her paws, and she couldn't help but glare down at the brown-specked she-cat. She stood, stalking away from Cinnamon, trying to control her anger. The apprentice-sized she-cat scampered after her, whining, "Hey, it's not nice to ignore someone above you."

Lion turned to the small she-cat, her voice overly sweet but her gaze dripping with venom, "Oh, I didn't see you there, you are quite small." Her whiskers twitched when the tiny she-cat flinched at the insult. She flicked her tail, "Why don't you go run back to your _precious_ Howl?" She snorted when Cinnamon flinched again. She turned away sharply, heading back to the Hunter's den, so the spot she was lying in wouldn't get covered in snow. She twitched an ear when she heard the small she-cat bounding through the snow after her. She settled back down, curling her tail over her paws as Cinnamon stumbled over to her. She snorted at the confused look on the small she-cat's face.

Cinnamon hissed quietly, her confused expression changed to a glare, "You were supposed to be mad about this! Why aren't you doing anything? You're boring!"

Lion stared down at Cinnamon in shock, before speaking, "Oh, don't get me wrong. I am mad about this, but I've faced much worse than a few rumors." She licked a paw, drawing it over her ear before leaning down to meet the she-cat face to face, "I'm not going to break over a few false claims, you might, but that's because you have the mentality of a kit." Cinnamon's fur puffed up in offense, ears flat.

Lion hissed quietly when, to her surprise, Cinnamon lashed out. The small she-cat clawed her over the ear, and Lion drew her head away. She raised a paw to the wound, lightly dabbing it. Blood soaked the fur on her paw almost immediately. She lowered her paw back to the ground, looking down at the brown-specked she-cat and bluntly spoke, "That hurt."

Cinnamon snapped, "Good!" Her paw was raised, and she was poised for another attack. A few cats had been drawn from the initial blow, their eyes sparkling with curiosity. Lion waited patiently, tension rising in the air. Cinnamon sprang, hissing. Lion swiftly moved out of the way, using one paw to catch the small she-cat in the air and throw her down into the snow. She let out a small squeal of shock, struggling to get out of the snow. Lion sprang, pressing her deeper into the snow. Cinnamon yowled, her paws batting at her foreleg. Lion twitched her whiskers in amusement, and those who had gathered thought it was funny as well, as she heard chuckles.

Lion lifted her paw from Cinnamon's chest, stepping back as the she-cat struggled to get off her back and out of the snow. Her head shot up when she heard a loud yowl, eyes narrowing when she saw Howl emerge from his den. He snarled, "What's going on here?"

She tensed, ears flattening before she spoke, "She attacked me, so I pushed her into the snow." Howl narrowed his eyes, springing down from his perch. He landed in the snow with a thud, stalking toward the scene. He used a big, gray paw to scoop a struggling Cinnamon from the snow. The she-cat mewed in indignation, shaking the fur out of her coat once she was back on her paws. Lion stayed tense when his sapphire eyes shifted to her, unreadable. He growled, shaking his head and turning around, heading back to his den with Cinnamon trailing after him. Lion let out a small breath, turning around and settling back down, resting her head on her paws.

The small crowd had disappeared, as the event had been ruined. She closed her eyes, resting her head on her paws and dozing off for a while

Lion woke to a paw prodding at her side, and the cold bite of snow on her back and ears, and her muscles and joints felt hard and sore. A voice sounded from above her head, "You'll freeze if you sleep out here for any longer." She looked up, meeting another familiar amber gaze. Adder.

She got to her paws, stretching and muttered, "Fine." She padded through the entrance, flopping down in her cold nest by the entrance. Adder padded past her, but turned his head and called, "You'll still freeze sleeping over there, you can come over here." Lion stared up at the roof of the den; he hadn't been concerned about where she was sleeping for her entire time here, so why start acting up now? She got to her paws anyways, not wanting to be blasted with snow and wind all night. She followed him, carefully stepping over tails and paws.

There were no empty nests, but Adder had shuffled to the side of his, leaving room. She didn't protest, physical exhaustion weighing down on her as she settled down in the nest. She welcomed the warmth of it, which differed greatly from her own nest at the front. Adder was already asleep, snoring quietly. Despite her exhaustion, her 'nap' from earlier had provided her with enough sleep. She let out a sigh, curling up into a tight ball.

Time passed slowly, the den filled with almost complete silence. After a long while she finally managed to doze off.

 _Lion blinked, looking around. Hard stone was underpaw, but the entire room was dark. She shook her head, screwing here eye shut and opening them. The darkness faded enough to see around. Stone surrounded the entire enclosure, with one exit that shone with a bright light. She headed right toward the welcoming light, which casted a warm feeling onto her._

 _However, the closer she got, the heavier she felt, and the further the light got. Suddenly, something moved in front of the exit, blocking the light. The warm feeling disappeared instantly, being replaced with cold dread. Two cold, sapphire orbs bore down on her, glinting with multiple emotions. The light faded out from behind him, disappearing without a trace left behind. Cold fear pierced her heart at the sight of him. Those cold, blue eyes, the familiar gray pelt, littered with scars, and the big, muscular frame. She kept her amber eyes on him as he slowly stalked around her._

 _Her instincts were telling her to run, to get as far away as she could. But she couldn't move, paralyzed from the terror. He padded up from behind her, murmuring things she could not bear to listen to. His tongue rasped over her ear, a deep purr rumbling in his throat. She bristled, willing herself to move. Thankfully, she managed to move a small amount, pushing the big gray tom away from her feebly. He pushed forward, and she stumbled back, ears flattening._

 _It happened to quickly, before she could do anything, he was already on her. She struggled underneath his weight, eyes wide in terror. Her tail curled between her legs, her hind legs scrambling as she tried to get away. His deep purring echoed in her ears, and he growled, "You're mine now."_

 _She cried out in fear, "No, no! Get away from me!" Sudden pain made her cry in agony, struggling harder. He jut pressed down on her harder, purring._

 _Pain._

 _Pain._

 _Him._

She woke in a cold sweat, breathing heavily. Her side was pressed up against Adder, who had a paw slung over her side. She pushed it off, shuffling away from him. She felt sick, dirty, used. She stared down at her paws, she thought she had overcome the initial trauma and shock of it, but here it was. She struggled to slow her breathing, her lungs aching. She was shaking, which didn't help her already unsteady breathing. It was too dark inside the den, too stuffy and crowded. She stumbled toward the entrance, telling herself that the light that shone through it wouldn't disappear.

She slipped outside, the cold air felt fresh and welcoming to her overheated body. It didn't take her long to notice she was crying, the trails frosting over almost immediately in the chilly air. She stiffened when someone behind her spoke, "You're blocking the way."

She managed to turn around, again greeted with a familiar tabby pelt and soft amber eyes that lit up in shock when they saw her. She forced out a single word that she'd never thought she would say to someone before, "Sorry."

 **AN: hELLO YES SORRY I HAVENT UPDATED IN A HECKIN LONG TIME? Homework has been catching up on me n so has school,, im in a student government class so that holds me after school for a long time, same with GSA. bUT anyways hope you enjoyed this chapter even though I rushed it after noticing I hadn't updated in a while.**

 **Adder is going to play a v important role in the next few chapters btw ((;**

 **Review for a cinnamon plushie? Not that u would want one lmao shes a lil shit and will also be a pretty large key character in the next few chapters ((((((((;**


	17. Update

**gg hi sorry I haven't updated in over a month ;;**

 **I've been trying to write the next chapter and nothings going smooth at all. Writers block is still slowing me down and the way I want the chapter done isn't coming to me. I keep deleting and rewriting over and over again.**

 **I honestly have almost no time between personal things, school, homework, ect to get decent writing time in at all ever.**

 **I'm more active on my Instagram account;; ( spoopy_raccoon ) so follow me if you want ig**

 **I'll try to get the next chapter out soon ;;**


	18. update again

ok so i finally got access to ffn from a computer, but this isn't going to last very long.

All my stories are going on hiatus for a few days or longer, i have no idea when I am going to get a new laptop or pc. My old laptop finally kicked the bucket after eight years so I lost almost all my progress on everything.

I'll try to upload new chapters to my stories as soon as possible but I cannot confirm that they are coming any time soon

\- noodles


	19. Hunting

Chapter 14

Lion was curled up in the Hunter's den, eye shut, though not asleep. It had been a few days since the dream, and thankfully, Adder hadn't left her side since it happened. While she still thought it was odd he had suddenly started talking to her, she was grateful for their small friendship. He had even pulled some strings and got Howl to let her stay in the camp for a few days instead of going out on the hunts. But today she had to. A loud yowl sounded outside, signaling that the members of the Ruins had best leave their dens and hear the announcements.

She got to her paws, waiting for Adder to follow suit. He stretched first, then got up, padding out of the den with her. The cold air took her by surprise, causing her to squint and blink a few times as her eyes dried out. She shook out her coat to block the cold, hurrying after Adder to take her seat. Snow melted underneath her, causing her fur to get damp. She shifted uncomfortably, waiting for Howl to send them off. She kept her gaze down, tail curled neatly over her paws.

Howl's booming voice echoed around the camp, "The worst time of the cold season has arrived. I expect the Hunters to bring enough prey for everybody to survive this time." Lion shuffled her paws, feeling his burning gaze on her pelt. He spoke again, "Maple." Hearing her fake name was enough to give her chills, the familiar cold ball of fear and anxiety forming in her chest. She said nothing as he continued, "You haven't gone out on a hunt in a while. I'm expecting you to do well on today's hunt, or consider your rank gone."

Lion murmured, "Very well."

"What was that?" Howl sneered, "I couldn't quite catch it."

She bristled, all fear forgotten as she jerked her head up and spat, "I said fine, unless your old mite-filled ears couldn't understand that!" Silence filled the clearing, the tension in the air so thick that she could slice it with a claw. However, despite her aggressive tone, she regretted it instantly. She recoiled seconds after she spoke, dropping her gaze. The muffled thud noise that sounded in front of her was an obvious sign that Howl had jumped down from his pedestal.

Blood began dripping from her ear before she even felt the pain from it. She didn't flinch, but let out a quiet, "Oh."

Howl said nothing to her, but turned to Adder, growling, "Take your hunters and go." Lion rose, following Adder and the rest of the hunters out of the camp. She did not bother to clean the blood that was still dripping down her face and staining her golden fur. She felt numb, emotionless.

Adder's POV

Adder walked by Maple's side, gaze lingering on her. Despite the ruthless image he had created for himself, pity was nestled into his heart as he watched the she-cat. She walked silently, eyes dark, blood staining her fur. She moved like a machine, pace rigid and never changing. And despite the image forcefully placed upon the she-cats, she looked _dangerous_. Muscles rippled underneath her sleek golden and ginger fur, which shone like a wet stone under the dim sunlight. Scars cut through the pattern along her pelt, so long and so many that it seemed like a beast had attacked her.

Because he was watching her, he had almost no time to realize that they had reached the wall already. He nearly bumped into one of his hunters, backing up a few pawsteps. The hunters looked back, waiting for his signal to jump the wall into their allies' territory. He raised his tail, swishing it back down, allowing them to continue. They all simultaneously sprang, some clearing the wall and others having to claw the rest of the way up. He always waited to ensure that every single cat made it over the wall safely.

He watched as Maple backed up a few steps, then pushed off her hind legs into a short run. She sprang, landing lightly onto the wall. She looked back down at him, kinking her tail as a signal to follow and springing down onto the other side. He twitched his whiskers, following suit and jumping over the wall. He landed on the soft ground with a faint thud sound.

He rose from the crouching position he landed in, hardening his gaze. He began to speak, "The cold season causes prey to hide in their burrows, however, I expect you all to bring at least one item back by the time the sun is in the middle of the sky." His gaze swept over the group, "Do your best, now go!"

On his command, the hunters scattered, all of them running off in a separate direction. However, Maple stuck with him. He had already guessed she would. She stood, turning around so the wind would blow into her fur. She opened her jaws as if she was going to say something, but remained silent. She shut her jaws, starting to move. Her eyes were narrowed, and she moved slowly, ears pricked forward. He followed after her, nose twitching. He realized what she was stalking. The scent of rabbit was strong, blowing right into his face. She crept up and over a small hill, stopping.

Adder followed her, stopping next to her and crouching low. Her eyes swept over the clearing, stopping at a certain point. He squinted, unable to see what she was looking at. A slight movement caught his eye, and when he looked closer he saw the shape of a rabbit, fur white as the snow. He prepared to take a step forward, a growl forming in his throat. He almost never caught a rabbit. He bunched his haunches, prepared to leap. However, Maple whisked her tail in front of him, giving a small hiss of warning.

She turned her head to look at him, quietly whispering, "Rabbits will hear or feel you before they catch your scent, you must tread carefully." He kept still and watched silently as she crept forward slowly, stepping lightly. As she made her way down the hill, the rabbit started moving away from her, nibbling on exposed bits of grass. She kept her slow pace, creeping ever so slightly towards the rabbit. Adder watched her closely, stress building up as he watched her move so slowly, why didn't she make the move to catch it? He sheathed and unsheathed his claws, eyes narrow.

That was when she suddenly moved, faster than a snake. She sprang, slamming her paws into the ground and killing the rabbit instantly, before it could even make a noise. She dropped it instantly, and he watched as two younger rabbits burst out from the snow, one of them still spotted with brown fur. She moved quickly, slamming a paw down on one of them and killing it, but this one squealed before its death. Her other paw snagged the other rabbit, which began kicking and squealing. It got loose, but her claws had already done damage. It would not survive for long until bleeding out.

She looked back at him, eyes shining with exhilaration. He came trotting down the hill, tail raised. He stopped in front of her, staying silent for a few moments before speaking, "That was amazing." He looked down at the two rabbits, which were both killed without any blood being spilled. He mewed, "I didn't think it was possible for anyone to be skilled enough to catch _two_ rabbits, let alone without causing any bloodshed!"

Maple dipped her head slightly, before purring, "Anything's possible with the right training." She stopped, staring at the blood-stained snow where the third rabbit had gotten away. She remarked, "We should probably stop standing around and find that third rabbit, eh?"

He snorted, "Yeah,"

He twitched an ear as she quietly whispered something that was almost lost in the wind,

"We wouldn't want to attract any foxes."

 **A/N: hEYYYY IM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING FOR SO LONG! The story might still be on a slight hiatus as I have limited access to writing time at the moment! Sorry this chapter is short and filler-ish,, i need to space the plot out a little so I need to write a filler chapter or two every once in a while. Thank you guys for being such amazing readers and sticking with my writing for so long! Since I probably won't be able to update in a while, Happy Holidays to all of you! I hope to get the next chapter out soon,,**


	20. Final Update

**Update:**

 **I apologize for how long it has been since I updated, its not very acceptable. If I were honest, I've lost love for how this story is heading. I'm going to be cancelling this version and start a re-write of it that is paced better, has less plot holes, and overall is a better version than this one. I have no idea when I will be posting the new story, as I will be stockpiling chapters to be a little more prepared this time. The plotline won't be changed drastically and all characters will be written the same and will also still be included in the story.**

 **Sorry again!**

 **-Zuffoodles**


	21. final update 20

**The revised version of LOTR is now up with 2 chapters! I hope you all enjoy the new version ^^**

 **-Zuffoodles**


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